Matthew Cresswell, BBC Sport England and Geoff Doyle, BBC 3CR sports editor
Watford sporting director Luke Dowling says the club are in "regular" talks with Manchester City over re-signing defender Stephen Mfuni on loan and hinted striker Nestory Irankunda could leave the club this month.
Mfuni, who spent the second half of last season on loan with the Hornets, has featured for City on their pre-season tour of Asia.
He played 45 minutes in City's 1-1 draw with Inter Milan before being replaced at half-time by fellow former Watford loanee Max Alleyne - as well as the whole second half of City's 3-1 win against a K-League XI in Seoul on Wednesday.
"Everyone who watched Watford play last year in the games when Mfuni, especially, played, it wouldn't surprise me with Man City losing Nathan Ake this year, if they kept him around," Dowling told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"He's left-footed like Ake, he can play left-back, he can play left centre-half, so that wouldn't surprise me at all.
"However, the club are in contact with Man City regularly... so just wait and see.
"It's unfortunate with loans like that because we're never in control with them as they are not our players."