Todd Boehly is attempting to kickstart his Chelsea ownership by signing three Manchester City players - Nathan Ake, Raheem Sterling, and Oleksandr Zinchenko - but the champions' stance is clear.
Manchester City have warned Chelsea that selling Nathan Ake will cost at least £50 million, as new Blues owner Todd Boehly plans a three-player raid on the champions.
The 27-year-old, who joined City from Bournemouth for £40 million two years ago, is wanted by Boehly and co this summer, having spent five years learning his trade at Chelsea as a youngster. After the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, manager Thomas Tuchel is looking to rebuild his defense, with the left-footed Ake appearing to be an ideal replacement.
Following Boehly's £4.25 billion takeover, the Blues want to sign his City teammates Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko, according to the Sun, who add that Newcastle United enquired about Dutch international Ake earlier in the summer transfer window and were told to pay £50 million.
Aside from Chelsea being a more direct rival to City than Newcastle, it is also claimed that Pep Guardiola would require a ready-made replacement before sanctioning any sale. With the departure of the defender, City's only recognized centre-backs in their bid to defend the Premier League title would be Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and John Stones.
Ake has made 40 appearances since joining Guardiola in August 2020, after making his name at Bournemouth for four seasons. That came after only 12 first-team appearances at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues never gave him the chance to prove himself during their managerial whirlwind.
Chelsea are also interested in Matthijs de Ligt, a former Watford and Reading loanee. Ake's international teammate, the 22-year-old, reportedly wants to leave Juventus after three years, and the Blues are eager to engineer a move.
Tuchel's rebuilding effort is not limited to the back line, as the German is targeting City duo Sterling and Zinchenko to improve his team's play further up the pitch. Bookmakers have even suspended betting on England ace Sterling appearing at Stamford Bridge, despite the fact that he is in the final year of his contract in Manchester.
Meanwhile, Everton and Arsenal have been linked with a move for Ukraine's versatile star Zinchenko. The latter club is expected to announce the arrival of Citizens striker Gabriel Jesus soon, thereby strengthening a rival, as they would by selling their trio to Chelsea.
Boehly is now in charge of the Blues' transfer operations, following the departures of former recruitment chiefs Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia. Signing three players of Ake, Sterling, and Zinchenko's caliber from the top dogs of English football would certainly be that if he was desperate to make an early statement of intent during his first few months in west London.
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