Chelsea agree personal terms with Nathan Aké — reports

Chelsea’s search for defensive reinforcements has led us back to a familiar face, with multiple sources reporting today that we’ve agreed terms with our former Academy graduate, Nathan Aké.

There’s no word on the actual terms of the agreement (length or wages), and more importantly, there is no actual agreement over a potential transfer fee with Manchester City. However, neither are expected to pose big hurdles with Chelsea seemingly set on bringing back Aké a half-decade after allowing him to leave. Chances are we’ll end up doing so at over twice the £20m we got from Bournemouth in 2017, and a little over the £41m they in turn got from City two years ago.

Aké should be a natural fit for the left side of Tuchel’s (so-far) preferred back-three, and could also fill in as a left back should we switch to a back-four. The 27-year-old is also quite capable of playing defensive midfield — that versatility saw him make 17 appearances for Chelsea as a youngster back in the day, and also collect 40 appearances for City despite a few injuries and many other players ahead of him in the pecking order.

Nathan’s return to Chelsea may not be the splashiest move of the summer, but it might be very much a needed one.