Man City set low price tag for Nathan Ake - but defender rejects chance to join Premier League strugglers

According to talkSPORT, Ake is open to a move away from Etihad Stadium in the January transfer window after clocking just 596 minutes on the pitch in the 2025-26 campaign at City. However, the Dutch centre-back has rejected a chance to join Premier League strugglers West Ham United as the defender does not want to sign for a club who are currently 18th in the league and are at risk of relegation. City are open to selling the defender in the upcoming window and have even set his price lowly at just £21 million ($28m).

Ake has also attracted interest from three other Premier League clubs, namely Bournemouth, Newcastle and Crystal Palace, who are monitoring the 30-year-old's situation at the Etihad Stadium. Reports have also emerged that Barcelona have also shown interest in the City star, despite being cash-strapped. The Catalan giants are looking for a replacement for Andreas Christensen, who is out with a long-term injury.

Ake would bring versatility that Flick’s Barcelona squad currently lacks. Comfortable both as a left-sided centre-back and at left-back, he offers tactical flexibility at a time when fixture congestion is beginning to affect the Spanish champions. That adaptability is especially valuable for a side operating with a thin defensive unit and limited rotation options.

However, any move for Ake would almost certainly need to be structured as a loan, given the Catalan club's ongoing financial challenges. While City are more keen on a permanent sale, the relationship between the clubs and the respect Guardiola commands in Barcelona could play a role in facilitating discussions.

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Beyond Ake's positional flexibility and years of experience, the fact that the defender has trained under Guardiola at City is viewed as a major asset by the Barcelona hierarchy. His familiarity with positional play, ball progression from deep areas and defensive discipline aligns closely with Catalan giants' footballing identity. 

For the club's sporting department, the logic is clear: a player already schooled in Guardiola’s methods is likely to settle quickly into a system that values control, structure and intelligent movement. In a short-term loan scenario, immediate adaptability is crucial, and Ake is seen as capable of delivering that without a prolonged settling-in period in the second half and the most important juncture of the season. 

While City will push for Ake to exit in the January window, the club's immediate priority remains securing the transfer of Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo as early as possible. talkSPORT reported on Monday that the Cherries and the Cityzens have held positive talks over the structure of payments for Semenyo's £65 million ($87.5m) transfer fee and Bournemouth are now preparing to sell their star player in the next few days. 

Semenyo, though, is expected to travel with the squad to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Tuesday and that match could be his farewell outing for the club. Semenyo has given his verbal consent to complete the transfer and the formal process will begin once the transfer window officially opens on January 1.