Thomas Tuchel 'Big Fan' Of Manchester City Defender

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is believed to be a ‘big fan’ of Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, according to reports.

The Blues will have lost two of their senior central defenders come the start of next season, with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving the club in the summer.

Rudiger is joining recent Champions League winners Real Madrid after five years at Chelsea, with Christensen seemingly off to fellow La Liga side Barcelona.

Such departures mean the Blues will likely be in the market in order to sign their replacements, with Ake now emerging as a potential target for the club.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Tuchel is said to be a ‘big fan’ of the centre-back.

Nathan Ake featuring for Manchester City. (Alamy)

Ake has already played for Chelsea, making his debut for the club in 2012 having previously signed from Feyenoord.

He then had loan spells at Reading, Watford and Bournemouth, before signing for the Cherries on a permanent deal in 2017 after an impressive initial few months on the South Coast, leaving with 17 appearances to his name at the Blues.

The 27-year-old would soon feature 121 times for Bournemouth, amassing 11 goals and six assists from defence, before signing for City at the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

In two seasons at the Etihad Stadium, he has won two Premier League titles, making 40 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side thus far.

If Tuchel is to pursue his interest in the defender and Chelsea make a move for him in the window, he may not be the only player to make the switch from Manchester to London.

Nathan Ake away at Burnley for Manchester City. (Alamy)

It has been revealed that the Blues are confident of being able to complete the signing of Raheem Sterling this summer, a transfer that could cost around £35 million.

The winger also believes that the chance of returning to London is an ‘appealing prospect’ but a move will only be able to happen once Romelu Lukaku seals his move from Chelsea back to Inter Milan, which he believes could happen within the next couple of weeks.

Sterling has played over 300 games for City in all competitions since he joined from Liverpool in 2015, scoring 131 times for the blue half of Manchester.

He has also won ten honours during his time at the club and has now made 77 appearances for the England national team, with some of his performances for the Three Lions proving crucial in their run to the Euro 2020 final last year.