Newcastle United are interested in signing Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, according to a report from talkSPORT.Â
The lowdown: Howe connection
Formerly of the academy system at Feyenoord and Chelsea, Ake truly made a name for himself at Bournemouth under Toon boss Eddie Howe.
The 27-year-old Dutch defender appeared under the 44-year-old on 121 occasions on the south coast and was ever-present in two consecutive Premier League campaigns – the now Magpies boss even called him an ‘outstanding’ player who he ‘loves’ working with.
Now, as Howe attempts to bolster the squad at St James’ Park, a reunion with Ake in the North East could be on the cards…
The latest: ‘Big admirer’
As per talkSPORT, Newcastle could be about to offer Ake a ‘lifeline’ with an offer of a switch this summer.
It’s claimed that the 25-cap Holland man has been ‘told he can leave City’ after two years at the club, during which time the versatile defender has made just 40 outings for Pep Guardiola.
The report also states that Howe remains a ‘big admirer’ of the Dutchman, who was hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Martin Keown in the wake of securing his big move to Manchester in 2020.
The verdict: No brainer
If indeed Ake is free to move on in the upcoming window, working alongside Howe once again and in turn strengthening the Magpies would make an abundance of sense for all parties.
Last season, the star capable of playing as a central defender and at left-back made 27 appearances across all competitions, earning an impressive 7.08 Sofascore rating whilst completing 55.1 (91%) accurate passes, making 1.5 clearances and winning 3.9 duels on average per league game.
That ball-playing ability out from the back – his pass accuracy is far higher than any NUFC centre-back – would be a perfect fit for the manager, something Howe will of course know all too well given their previous time together.
Holding a stylistic likeness to elite Premier League defenders such as Ruben Dias, Joel Matip and now Real Madrid powerhouse Antonio Rudiger (Fbref), signing Ake to feature alongside Dan Burn would be another smart piece of recruitment from Newcastle and PIF this summer.
In other news: Magpies send scouts to watch Ben Nelson…
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