CHELSEA are delaying bringing Nathan Ake back to the club until they can offload on Andreas Christensen from their wage bill.
The Blues are keen to enact their £40million buy-back option for Ake, who has developed into a top class centre-back while playing for Bournemouth.
Chelsea will delay bringing Nathan Ake back… until they can offload Christensen
Boss Frank Lampard has highlighted the need for another defender to come in to help shore up a defence which leaks too many goals.
But before he can bring anyone else in, Lampard would need to get rid of one of the four central defenders currently in the first team squad at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma are the first choice pairing at present, and the club have high hopes Fikayo Tomori will continue to develop into a quality player over the coming 18 months.
It means Danish international Christensen is the man surplus to requirements and Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for the 23-year-old.
But though there is plenty of interest in Christensen as a player, there is a shortage of clubs willing to match or improve his current £80,000-a-week wages.
AC Milan are one of the clubs who have registered an interest as they search for a new centre-back this month.
But they would prefer a loan deal for the remainder of the season with an option to buy in the summer – and are not keen to meet Chelsea’s valuation of £35m for the defender.
Ake is a fortnight away from returning to fitness following a hamstring injury.
That gives them time to look into their options finding a buyer for Christensen, and they could then activate their option for Ake in the final week of the transfer window.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe would be desperate not to lose the Dutch international with his side in relegation trouble but is powerless to prevent a transfer if Chelsea come up with the money.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
