Romano and Moretto give update Ake-Milan links: “Willing to make a financial sacrifice”

Nathan Ake seemed to be an unfeasible target for AC Milan in the final days of the mercato, but it may not be the case.

Whilst reports have suggested that Pep Guardiola is unwilling to sanction an exit for Ake, he may have very little say in the matter. In a World Cup year, minutes are heavily important, and if the Dutch defender is unable to play, then he may try to request a move.

That step has not been made yet, but it seems that he is already opening himself up for a departure, with time running out. After all, he has been told that his minutes must increase by Ronald Koeman if he is to make the squad this summer.

Ake Update

Matteo Moretto and Fabrizio Romano have, this evening, commented on the situation, with the Rossoneri ready to pounce, and MilanNews have relayed their words from YouTube.

Moretto speaks first: “Milan has been monitoring him since the beginning of January, aware that it’s a rather complicated operation in terms of costs. But in the final days of this transfer window, perhaps this type of deal could turn into an opportunity.

“After tonight’s Champions League match against City, there will certainly be further meetings; we’ll also need to see what Guardiola thinks. On Thursday, City will also have an internal meeting to figure out what path to take with Aké.

“However, I repeat, Milan is waiting, trying to understand and assess the costs of the deal to assess whether it’s truly a viable option or not.”

Then Romano: “I think there are two things to discuss about Aké. One concerns City: we’ll have to see whether City want to release him or not, because, after all, the injuries to Ruben Dias and Gvardiol certainly aren’t helping.

“On the other hand, there’s also a question linked to the World Cup: Aké, a bit like many other players, wants to play more. Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands coach, even publicly a few weeks ago, made it clear to his players that anyone who wants to go to the World Cup has to play, and right now, Aké isn’t playing much.

“So this incentive from Koeman, both public and private, could also be a factor. Then we move on to City; we’ll see how this discussion develops.”

Finally, Moretto again: “They tell me he’d even be willing to make a financial sacrifice to find a project that can give him consistent performances. So we’ll see what happens in the next few days.”