West Ham United have expressed interest in signing Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake, according to Ekrem Konur.
Since making the switch from Bournemouth in 2020, Aké, who is valued at £15m by Transfermarkt, has been a key figure in Manchester City’s period of success, helping deliver 10 trophies at the Etihad, including the historic 2022/23 treble, three further Premier League titles, a League Cup, and two European titles.
However, a combination of injuries last season and Joško Gvardiol’s impressive performances reduced the 30-year-old’s involvement to just 10 league outings, of which only eight were from the start.
Further limiting his prospects this campaign is the summer arrival of natural left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers, making regular opportunities even harder to come by for Aké, with the prospects of a departure now looking increasingly likely.
Now, according to Konur, West Ham have joined the race to sign the 30-year-old as a potential option to reinforce Nuno Espirito Santo’s backline.
The journalist adds that City are open to the former Chelsea man’s departure in the January transfer window, with the Hammers now expressing interest in a possible swoop.
Ake to West Ham
The Hammers will hope the Dutch international favours a move to the London Stadium amid competition for his services, with Konur adding that several clubs, including Barcelona, are interested.
West Ham’s relegation battle was hit by a further blow last weekend when an Erling Haaland double inspired Manchester City to an emphatic 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
They now sit 18th in the Premier League, seven points below 16th-placed Leeds United, who have carried out a remarkable turnaround to remain unbeaten in their last four games.
This season, only fellow relegation strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers (37) have conceded more goals than the Hammers’ 35 in the league.
More worrying is their abysmal clean sheet record: they have kept only one in 18 matches across all competitions, in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in August, making defensive reinforcement necessary, with Ake now eyed.
At 30, Ake would add a wealth of top-flight experience to the Hammers’ defence. Having captained Bournemouth at 24, he would bring invaluable leadership to West Ham’s backline, which lacks coordination.
