Chelsea transfer news: Nathan Ake could return in January due to clause but Bournemouth want to sign him on permanent deal
Versatile Dutch defender has impressed since joining the Cherries on loan last summer but could be returning to Blues
BOURNEMOUTH are hoping to agree a permanent fee for Nathan Ake to prevent him from being recalled to Chelsea next month.
The Dutch defender is relishing the chance to play regular Premier League football after agreeing to spend the season on loan at the Vitality Stadium.
But Chelsea have a clause in the agreement which allows them to take him back to Stamford Bridge in January.
And Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe fears that Ake’s impressive form might have alerted Antonio Conte to the player’s potential.
Now he is looking to negotiate a £10milllion transfer fee which will allow him to keep 21-year-old Ake for the long-term.
Conte has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his defensive options at Chelsea in the New Year.
But top target Leonardo Bonucci signed a new five-year contract with Juventus yesterday and Southampton are unwilling to cash in on Virgil van Dijk.
Ake, though, is reluctant to return to Stamford Bridge if it means just sitting on the bench.
He has started just one Premier League game for the club he joined as a 17-year-old and that was way back in May 2013.
And he knows that with Kurt Zouma now recovered from a serious knee injury and Andreas Christensen earmarked to return from a loan spell at Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, his long-term Chelsea prospects are not bright.
Bournemouth will look to raise the subject with Chelsea when the teams meet at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day, a match for which centre-half Ake will not be eligible.
Related Stories
Howe admits: “There is a clause in the loan deal where they can recall Nathan next month.
“But we hope the fact that he is playing regularly and doing very well for us will mean that he will stay.
“We will have to wait and see what happens but is defending very well, his positioning is excellent, he uses the ball well and he can be very pleased with his work.”