Manchester City star frustrated with minutes to hold honest future talks with Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Nathan Ake is set to hold talks with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been frustrated with limited playing opportunities ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as per a new report.

Ake made his first Premier League start in six months when he lined up alongside Ruben Dias in central defence in Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Everton at the end of October, having dealt with recurring fitness issues in the previous campaign.

The 30-year-old joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in the summer of 2020 and has played a crucial role for Pep Guardiola and co in their domination of the English top-flight since his arrival, with the Blues winning the Premier League four times straight between 2021 and 2024.

However, Ake has often not been first-choice in central defence for City, where he will be out of contract in the summer of 2027 amid uncertainties over his long-term prospects at the Etihad Stadium amid a period of transition for the club on and off the pitch.

Hugo Viana was appointed Manchester City’s sporting director in the summer and the Portuguese conducted a sweeping change of first-team and backroom personnel in the backdrop of a dismal 2024-25 season for the Blues.

Viana signed off on a series of high-profile departures in the recent transfer window as City added seven new names to their first-team roster to challenge for major trophies in the seasons to come, with Bernardo Silva and John Stones notably allowed to enter the final year(s) of their respective contracts.

The Blues sit in second place in the Premier League table and have cut the gap to league leaders Arsenal to four points with a sensational run of form since September, having claimed 11 wins in their last 14 games in all competitions.

Guardiola’s first-team stars have an added incentive to perform to their best as the season progresses, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon and several players battling for hotly-contested starting XI positions for their respective nations.

One of them is Nathan Ake, who has not started enough in 2025 for a multitude of reasons and could look to leave Manchester City in January, with Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman insisting the defender stands little chance of featuring at the World Cup unless he turns his club situation around.

According to the information of Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan, Ake himself is said to be ‘frustrated’ after registering just one Premier League start so far this season for Manchester City.

As a result of the Dutchman falling down the pecking order at the club, Ake is described as ‘one to watch’ come the January transfer window and with his relationship with Pep Guardiola ‘very strong’, a communicated desire to leave the Etihad Stadium will be respected.

Manchester City are unlikely to stand in Ake’s way should he express a desire to leave the club midway through the season, though a loan is also likely for the former Bournemouth man, who could follow in the footsteps of Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish, who left on season-long loans to join Inter Milan and Everton in the summer.