Tottenham & Man Utd Eye Swoop To Sign £40m Star But Chelsea Could Scupper Plans

The transfer window is closed but managers are already planning ahead for January and next summer so we’ll bring you all the latest gossip. Today, Tottenham and Manchester United are eyeing Nathan Ake…

Tottenham and Manchester United are showing a keen interest in Nathan Ake but Chelsea could scupper their plans by re-signing the £40m Bournemouth defender next summer, according to the Telegraph.

Ake joined the Chelsea’s youth ranks from Feyenoord in 2011 but struggled to force his way in to the first team set-up having made just 7 appearances and after spending several years out on loan he eventually made a permanent £20m move to Bournemouth in the summer of 2017.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a hugely impressive spell on the south coast under the stewardship of Eddie Howe and has broken in to the senior Dutch national team with 7 caps to his name so far.

Ake’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed as the Telegraph claim that Tottenham and Manchester United are both showing a keen interest in the centre-back and are expected to track his progress ahead of potential swoops next summer.

Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to sign another centre-back having missed out on several targets last summer and Ake is the latest name to be considered by United amid on-going doubts over the futures of Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones.

Tottenham are also in the market for another central defender as Toby Alderweireld is expected to leave at the end of the season after failing to agree terms over a new contract and Ake would fit the profile of player Mauricio Pochettino would love to work with.

However, the duo could yet face competition from Chelsea as the Telegraph claims that the Blues have an agreement in place with Bournemouth that allows them first option to re-sign Ake for £40m should the likes of Spurs or United submit an offer.

The newspaper says Chelsea have shown no intention of moving for Ake and the player would obviously have to agree any move back to Stamford Bridge but Maurizio Sarri is expected to be in the market for another centre-back next year.

Gary Cahill is being tipped to leave west London after struggling to establish himself under Sarri while Andreas Christensen’s future is also in doubt after falling out-of-favour this season so Chelsea could yet be tempted by the prospect of taking Ake back to the capital.

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming months but it looks like Chelsea have the power to derail any attempts by Tottenham or Man Utd to sign Ake if either club formalises their interest next summer.