Roma’s new manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly targeting a summer transfer window move for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake.
The Portuguese tactician will no doubt be keen to put his own stamp on the squad he’s inherited at Roma, and Ake could be a smart signing for the Italian giants.
MORE: Manchester United launch first bid for England international
The Netherlands international is being linked with Roma by Todo Fichajes, who state that the Serie A club could make an offer for him in the coming weeks, with his asking price likely to be around £29million.
Ake shone at Bournemouth before his big move to Man City last summer, but he’s struggled to make much of an impact at the Etihad Stadium so far.
Nathan Ake in action for Manchester City
Part of that is down to his injury problems in the season just gone, but it’s also hard to see him getting into the side after the superb performances of Ruben Dias and John Stones, while Aymeric Laporte is another quality option for Pep Guardiola in that area of the pitch.
Somewhat surprisingly, City’s rivals Manchester United were also recently linked with an interest in Ake by the Sun.
This could mean Mourinho has to battle his old club to get this signing done for Roma, but one imagines City would much rather sell Ake abroad than to one of their biggest rivals.
United could do with a new centre-back this summer, so City will surely do anything to avoid giving them the kind of signing they need to mount a stronger challenge in next season’s title race.
More must-reads: