Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is resigned to the fact that star defender Nathan Ake is likely to leave the Cherries this season, but the south coast manager is ready ignite a bidding war for the £40m rated man with Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are ready to try and snap up the Dutchman.
Ake joined Bournemouth from Chelsea last year in a deal worth £20m, but The Sun are reporting that the Blues have the chance to kick-start a £40m buy-back clause and Howe is almost certain that he will lose one of his men defensive assets.
So much so that Howe is already on the lookout for a replacement for Ake, who has been an integral figure in the Bournemouth back-line for the last couple of years, but while Chelsea have an option of grabbing their former player back, it's reported that a raft of top-flight clubs are interested in signing the 23-year-old and Jose Mourinho at United and Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs are sure to take an interest, while Pep Guardiola at Manchester City is another that could line up a surge for the classy performer.
With so many huge clubs looking to bolster their defensive ranks then it could work in Bournemouth's favour, who could well kick off a best-bid-wins style scramble for Ake's services, and it could end up with a fee of more than £40m paid for the Cherries man, which will in turn give Howe a tidy sum to go and find a replacement.
Ake has featured in every single Bournemouth league game this season, and has turned himself into one of the leading defensive performers in the division.
