Chelsea are understood to be nearing the completion of a big-money £45 million deal with Manchester City to sign Nathan Ake this summer.
Ake is closing on a return to Stamford Bridge weeks after the Dutch defender was earmarked as a top name on the shopping list for the Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel who remains on the hunt for reinforcements to bolster his backline.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving the Stamford Bridge fold at the end of the 2021-22 season meant that Tuchel was lacking quality names in his defensive lineup which would be given much-needed strength by Ake’s arrival at the scene.
According to a report from 90min, it is claimed that the west London giants have struck an agreement on a £45 million fee with Manchester City to bring Ake back to the Bridge five years after he left to join Bournemouth.
The 27-year-old’s versatility is said to have made him a priority target for Tuchel who has suffered a setback in his long-standing pursuit of the Juventus first-team regular Matthijs de Ligt who closes in on signing for Bayern Munich.
