Manchester City are giving Nathan Ake a new deal this summer.
The long-term contract will include a significant pay rise for the Dutch international, with his weekly wages set to climb from £80,000 to £120,000. City are keen to reward Ake for his best season yet since leaving Bournemouth for the Etihad in June 2020.
No more than a fringe player previously with the English champions, the £42million defender has become a vital cog in Pep Guardiola’s rearguard – with his ability to operate in the centre or as a left-back a huge asset.
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Ake, 28, had made 25 appearances in all competitions this term before yesterday’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest. City boss Guardiola, who blocked Chelsea’s attempt to buy their former player last summer, views him as the perfect role model for his younger stars.
Ake’s dedicated approach even when out of favour over the last couple of years particularly impressed the Spanish coach. And it has certainly paid dividends in recent months with Ake now a mainstay in the City defence.
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(Image: Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
His performance in last week’s top-of-the-table 3-1 victory at Arsenal received plenty of plaudits, especially for the way he kept England winger Bukayo Saka quiet after half-time.
That was just another example why City have decided to offer him an improved extension in June – despite there still being two years left on his existing deal.
Ake first emerged in England when he signed for Chelsea’s youth set-up from Dutch club Feyenoord at the age of 15.
(Image: PA)
But he made only seven league appearances for the Londoners, having loan spells at Reading, Watford and Bournemouth, before eventually joining the latter, permanently, in 2017 for a then-club record £20m.
Ake, capped 34 times by Holland, wracked up more than 100 starts for the Cherries before his switch to City.
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