Chelsea have missed their chance to re-sign Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake.
Manchester City have swooped in to sign the former Blues prospect with Bournemouth today accepting a £41m bid, according to BBC Sport.
Ake left Chelsea for £20m in 2017 after an initial loan spell with Bournemouth, but the Blues did hold a buy-back clause.
That clause, however - which was believed to be around £45m - expired in June, closing the door for Chelsea to guarantee themselves the opportunity to bring Ake back to Stamford Bridge.
Now it appears Man City have stepped in with Pep Guardiola keen to add the 25-year-old Dutchman to his back-line.
And with a sizable offer, too, with Bournemouth more than doubling their money despite suffering relegation to the Championship this season.
Ake make 29 league appearances for Bournemouth this season, scoring twice and assisting as many.
He has made 105 league appearances for the Cherries in all since moving permanently, adding to his 20 outings as a loan player.
Ake was at Chelsea for six years after joining from Feyenoord as a 15-year-old.
He only ever managed seven league appearances though, since going on to establish himself as a high-level Premier League defender, also winning 13 Netherlands caps.
