Manchester City Rumors: Guardiola Eyes Defensive Revamp With Nathan Ake

KEY POINTS

Manchester City is prowling the market for young defenders
Nathan Ake has been named as a target but no formal offers have been made yet
Kalidou Koulibaly remains a key defensive figure that the Sky Blues are hoping to sign

Manchester City is looking to beef up its defensive line and is reportedly eyeing Nathan Ake of Bournemouth.

Discussions have already begun between the two clubs, although they are still in the early stages. The Cherries' asking price for Ake is reportedly around $50 million.

According to Sky Sports, City is trying to aggressively improve its defense, with Pep Guardiola determining it to be a key area that needs to improve. Aside from Ake, the Sky Blues have also been linked to other players. Among those mentioned are Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli, Diego Carlos of Sevilla and Ben Chilwell of Leicester City.

At the moment, no formal offer is on the table for Ake. Other teams who are interested in the 25-year-old player include Chelsea and Manchester United. However, Manchester City has long coveted Ake, someone who can play the left-back position.

Ake is part of the youth movement that Manchester City is turning to. Aside from Ake, Koulibaly, Carlos and Chilwell, another player target is Ferran Torres of Sevilla. Similar to the case of Ake, there are also ongoing discussions for the services of the 20-year-old right-winger. The asking price for the 20-year-old player is also pegged at $50 million.

The Sky Blues also have their sights set on another teenager, Diego Rosa. Valued at roughly $5 million, the only problem with Rosa is that he can only register by January because of his age.

Guardiola is aware of the big void left behind after the departure of Vincent Kompany. They previously targeted Harry Maguire but lost out to United. But it appears a plausible target is Koulibaly.

In a previous report, it was mentioned how S.S.C. Napoli is determined to cash in on the 29-year-old player. Gli Azzurri is even willing to lower its asking price for the deal to go down. Napoli's asking price is now at $81 million, lower than the original price of $100 million.

Pundits feel that the lowered asking price remains stiff, particularly for someone who will turn 30 years old next season. Regardless, the Senegalese should be a needed addition to Guardiola if it gets settled.

Koulibaly is expected to pair up with Aymeric Laporte, with City looking to drastically improve its defensive side.