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Chelsea have cooled their interest in re-signing defender Nathan Aké.
The West London club sold the Dutch international to Bournemouth in 2017, but not before first inserting a buy-back clause in the deal for £40 million.
They had widely been expected to take that option up, but have now dialled back on their interest after having him scouted, amidst concerns that the 24-year’s style does not suit the high defensive line that manager Frank Lampard prefers.
Now they may turn their attention to other defensive targets, including Brighton’s Lewis Dunk, with a price tag of £50 million being quoted for the England international, and West Ham’s Issa Diop.
Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen is not being allowed to leave the club, despite being given limited opportunities so far this season.
Bournemouth in any case would be unwilling to let Aké leave them just now, as they are mired in a relegation battle, and will need him if they are to survive.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.