Four days ago, CalcioNapoli24 came out with a story out of nowhere linking Nathan Aké with a move to Napoli.
This was picked up by the British press, who threw Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea in the mix too, and now we’re back in Italy, with Gazzetta dello Sport making a big deal out of it all.
The Italian newspaper state that Napoli are currently ‘operating’ to ‘guarantee better consistency’ at the back, and Cristiano Giuntoli has ‘identified’ the Bournemouth defender as his ‘first’ reinforcement.
Also on the lookout for a fullback, the Serie A side see Aké as someone who could compliment Kalidou Koulibaly rather nicely, with both Raul Albiol and Nikola Maksimovic far from fully convincing.
The Senegalese star is mentioned as being of interest to Manchester United, which is nothing new, but Napoli are confident they can keep him around, and adding the Bournemouth centre-back to their ranks in the summer should help.
Gazzetta state Aké is valued at around €30m, but considering his age, ability and the fact the Cherries paid £20m for him in the first place, we expect that figure to be much higher.
We doubt Eddie Howe will let the 24-year-old leave without a fight.
