Everton could look to land a 'shock' move for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake in the remaining days of the summer transfer window, according to reports - with the Toffees keen to bolster their squad after a poor start to the new Premier League campaign.
The report by the Daily Mail states that the Toffees are interested in Ake, with the Dutchman able to fill in at both centre-back and left-back under David Moyes. Ake has been a huge part of City's recent success since moving from Bournemouth in 2020 for a fee of £41million, winning ten trophies at the Etiahd Stadium - including the treble in 2022/23, three further Premier League titles, a League Cup and two continental tournaments.
Report: Everton 'Interested' in Man City Star Nathan Ake
Nathan Ake in action for Manchester City
Nathan Ake in action for Manchester City
However, the emergence of Josko Gvardiol in his position, alongside injuries last season, means that minutes for the Dutchman have dwindled, having featured in just 10 top-flight games last season, of which just eight were starts.
Everton are 'desperate' to bring in reinforcements across the pitch in the final few weeks of the transfer window, and now it appears that £165,000-a-week star Ake has emerged as a target for the Merseyside club, who got off to a poor Premier League start with a 1-0 loss at newly-promoted side Leeds United.
Jarrad Branthwaite is out for a period of time after suffering an injury in training, and first-choice left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko is also out of action, meaning that midfielder James Garner was deployed as a makeshift for their game in Yorkshire, showing the severity of their defensive troubles.
Furthermore, out-and-out left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri has joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers and so minutes are going to be hard to come by for the Chelsea academy this season. Everton could offer him minutes, with survival the first objective for them this summer, though a top-half finish under Moyes would represent strong progression by the Scot, who took the Toffees from relegation candidates to mid-table safety in a matter of months at the helm.
Ake's Premier League experience could be valuable for Everton in their new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Featuring seven times for Chelsea in the league before departing on loan spells at Watford and Bournemouth, the Cherries snapped him up permanently where he properly flourished at the Vitality Stadium.
That saw him move to City, but he's only featured in 20 or more Premier League games in two of his five full seasons in Manchester, which could be a sticking point for the Toffees.
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