Why Nathan Ake is key to Pep Guardiola's plan for Man City

straight to your inboxKhaldoon Al Mubarak is "very comfortable" with the managerial situation at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola approaches the final ten months of his contract.City were delighted to lure the Catalan coach from Bayern Munich in 2016, having previously tried to bring him to the Etihad after he left Barcelona.

straight to your inbox RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann says Pep Guardiola's formation change was not the reason for Manchester City's Champions League exit. Guardiola's controversial change to 3-5-2 has been pointed to as a major factor in City's under-par performance against Lyon as the Blues fell at the quarter final stage for the third season in a row in Europe.

straight to your inboxManchester City's first two signings of the summer will both sit next to members of the team's leadership group in the home dressing room at the Etihad.City have moved early to secure Ferran Torres from Valencia and Nathan Ake from Bournemouth and the pair will take their place for games in the Blues' state-of-the-art facility at the stadium that was redeveloped in 2017.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola does not sugarcoat how difficult he makes life for the central defenders in his teams.The Manchester City manager has played an unapologetically high line throughout his coaching career as he looks for his teams to be able to control the ball and the game away from potentially dangerous areas near their own goal.In the words of director of football Txiki Begiristain: "You’ve got a ******* of a job if you’re a central defender in this team."Nathan Ake has

straight to your inboxFerran Torres has come to Manchester City to work with the manager he believes is the best in the world.Torres, 20, is the first major signing of the summer with the Blues agreeing an initial fee of £21m with Valencia in a financial package that could go up to £31m.

straight to your inbox Ferran Torres, Nathan Ake and any other new signings at Manchester City this summer will support the club's pursuit of Champions League glory from afar before linking up with the squad. In normal circumstances, summer transfers would be able to join their new team as soon as possible.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola shied away from the notion that he could write a huge chapter in Manchester City's history by guiding the club to their first Champions League triumph.The Blues boss helped spark a dynasty at Barcelona as a player by helping them to their first victory in the competition, at Wembley in 1992 – and they have since won it four more times, two of them under his management.But Guardiola deflected the question by declaring that there are others at the club who

straight to your inboxNew Manchester City defender Nathan Ake said he can't wait to get started at the club after completing his move from Bournemouth.Ake has signed a five-year contract at the Etihad to bolster Pep Guardiola's defensive ranks, with City still in the market for a new centre-back. Netherlands international Ake knows he faces a fight for a first-team spot at City, as he became the fifth recognised centre-back in the squad.

straight to your inbox Manchester City have completed the signing of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake as Pep Guardiola's rebuild begins to take shape for next season. Ferran Torres, the exciting young Spanish winger, has already been confirmed as a Blue this week in a £21m deal with Valencia.

straight to your inboxJoleon Lescott is more confident that Nathan Ake would prove his worth at Manchester City than he is Kalidou Koulibaly.The Blues are close to making Ake their second major signing of the summer after Ferran Torres's move was officially confirmed on Tuesday evening, with the club having agreed a £41m deal with Bournemouth.That is not expected to be the end of their strengthening of the defence this summer though.

straight to your inboxFerran Torres has become Manchester City's first major signing of the summer after completing his £20.8million transfer from Valencia.Torres, 20, will offer some much-needed pace into City's attack, and will take the place in the first team squad left by Leroy Sane.With Sane spending all-but 11 minutes of the 2019/20 season injured, City have had to cope with Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez as their primary wingers, supported by stints from Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and

straight to your inboxHere are the Manchester City morning headlines for Tuesday, August 4.Manchester City are keen to add pace to their squad in the summer transfer market, having lost Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich.Nathan Ake, set to join from relegated Bournemouth, will bring speed to the backline, while Ferran Torres is a rapid winger who’s close to joining City from Valencia.Torres hit a top speed of 34.91 kms per hour (21.69mph) in La Liga in 2019/20, behind only Levante’s Hernani in the

straight to your inboxManchester City stepped up their preparations for the new season last week as they had a bid of £40m plus add-ons accepted for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake. Pep Guardiola went into this summer's window keen to strengthen at the back after the team's defensive weaknesses contributed to them surrendering their Premier League crown to Liverpool.

straight to your inboxThe transfer window is now officially open until October, and transfer activity looks to be ramping up around Europe, with Manchester City closing in on the £40million purchase of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake ahead of the new campaign.The MEN understands that City are close to agreeing a deal for £40million, with an extra £1million in add-ons, but the deal has not yet been struck.