Manchester City have £41m bid ACCEPTED for Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake

Bournemouth have accepted a £41million offer from Manchester City for central defender Nathan Ake.

The Holland international is now set to discuss personal terms with the Etihad Stadium club with a deal expected to be completed in the coming days.

City are looking to get their business done early now that their Champions League ban has been thrown out and they are also closing in on Valencia winger Ferran Torres for £21m.

Nathan Ake is closing in on a move to Man City after Bournemouth accepted a £41m offer

City boss Pep Guardiola is keen to get business done early to steal a march on his rivals

Ake, 25, has been one of Bournemouth’s star performers since making his loan move from Chelsea a permanent one in 2017.

He moved to the south coast for a club record £20m but the club now look set to double their money despite dropping down to the Championship.

Central defence has been an area Guardiola has been keen to strengthen since losing Vincent Kompany at the end of last season and failing to adequately replace him.

Ake has a reputation as a reliable defender in the Premier League and is a goal threat too

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a known admirer but looks set to miss out

Fernandinho, typically deployed as a central midfielder, has slotted into a back four on occasion but Ake now looks set to be a long-term partner for Aymeric Laporte in Manchester.

As well as moving early for Ake, City are closing in on a deal for Torres, 20, who has been identified as a replacement for Leroy Sane.

The club are understood to have agreed personal terms with the Spain Under 21 international over a five-year contract.

The two clubs have yet to agree on a fee but are said to be close. Valencia wanted £40m for Torres and reports in Spain have suggested it would be £27.2m, but it’s understood that the initial fee will be substantially less.

Guardiola accepted a rebuild was vital this summer after they finished runners up to champions Liverpool, ending up 18 points behind.

City are also closing in on a £21m deal for talented Valencia winger Ferran Torres (middle)

After their ban from European competition was thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Guardiola has been allowed to press ahead with his rebuild by targeting two young and exciting players in defence and attack.

The transfer window is open until October 5 but with the 2020-21 season commencing on September 12, Guardiola appears keen to get his targets in early in a bid to integrate them into his system.

Speaking about transfer business to the club site recently, director of football Txiki Begiristain said: ‘We are working a lot, we have to be ready.

‘It will be a strange window because people have to move fast, we have to bring players who can improve our squad but also it means that maybe someone can leave.

‘It will be strange also because we have the Champions League so we have to wait to move forward until the Champions League is finished. We might have less time than ever but we’ll have time to make the changes we need to improve the squad.’