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Cape Town - Bournemouth face a real battle to keep hold of star defender Nathan Ake, with injury-hit Manchester City reportedly lining up a big-money offer in January.
City are paying the price for failing to replace the retired Vincent Kompany in the summer as injuries to key players have left them drastically short at centre-back.
Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are both on the sidelines and it means that Fernandinho has had to drop back to play alongside the only fit centre-back that City have in their squad, Nicolas Otamendi.
Citizens boss Pep Guardiola has said that his squad is strong enough to cope, but the results suggest that is not the case as Liverpool have opened up an eight-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.
City have been pretty much flawless over the last two seasons, but the same cannot be said in this campaign as mistakes at the back have cost them dearly.
Norwich secured a shock 3-2 victory at Carrow Road, but even more alarming was the fact that Wolves were allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium with a 2-0 victory before the international break.
Guardiola cannot do anything to address the situation until the January transfer window opens, but it looks as though he is ready to swoop as soon as it does, and a move for Ake is already in the pipeline.
City have been linked with a move for the Cherries defender on numerous occasions in the past, but now they are set to firm that interest up by making a bid in the new year.
Eddie Howe's men have done well to keep hold of Ake, but there will come a time when they will have to cash in, and reports claim that could be January.
City could have to bid as much as £80 million to land their man and that would be a figure too good for Bournemouth to turn down.
- TeamTalk Media
