Manchester City set €25m valuation on prized asset amid Barcelona’s intensifying interest for January move.
Amid Andreas Christensen’s long-term ACL nightmare and Ronald Araujo’s uncertain future, Hansi Flick desperately needs centre-back reinforcements before the window cracks open next week—yet City’s firm no-loan stance torpedoes Barça’s budget blueprint for a short-term fix.
Premier League rivals circling only inflate the stakes, leaving Deco scrambling for creative alternatives in a thin market.
The defender is Nathan Ake, the 30-year-old left-footed powerhouse who’s won everything with City but now craves regular minutes, openly warming to a Blaugrana switch after agents pitched him to Catalonia, as reported by Diario Sport.
Capable of slotting at centre-back or left-back, Ake’s tactical flexibility and Netherlands pedigree—where he shines internationally—make him a seamless Flick fit, blending experience with ball-playing poise amid Barça’s injury-ravaged backline.
Yet despite his bench role under Guardiola, Manchester City won’t entertain loans, eyeing a permanent sale to cash in before his 2027 contract winds down.
Sport reports confirm the €25m valuation, a figure ballooned by EPL interest that rules out Barcelona’s cash-strapped reality under FFP scrutiny and salary cap limbo.
Barcelona prioritizes loans or bargains for January, saving powder for summer marquee hunts, rendering Ake’s tag a non-starter despite mutual enthusiasm.
Internal sources admit monitoring persists, hoping Manchester City blinks late-window, but realism prevails—no splashy outlay risks derailing long-term planning.
Ake’s saga underscores Barça’s tightrope: urgent depth without financial folly.
With Christensen sidelined indefinitely and Araujo’s saga unresolved, alternatives like loanees or free agents loom, but his profile tantalizes.
If Manchester City budges, Ake could anchor the defensive revival; otherwise, Flick grinds on with makeshift options, the title chase hanging by defensive threads.
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