‘Plane Is Taking Off’ – Sporting Director Flying To England For Everton Target | OneFootball

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Everton have serious competition for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, with Fenerbahce sporting director Oguz Cetin flying to England soon to try to do a deal.

Ake arrived at Manchester City in August 2020 from Bournemouth for €41m, signing a five-year contract with the Etihad side.

The defender’s initial seasons with Manchester City were heavily disrupted by recurring injuries, restricting him to just 13 appearances in his debut year.

The Dutch international picked up his form in his third season with the Cityzens and played a vital role in Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign.

However, the 31-year-old’s minutes at the Etihad have recently dwindled, with injuries continuing to affect his consistency.

In the recent Premier League season, the centre-back made 18 appearances for Manchester City, including only six starts, while accumulating just 688 minutes on the pitch.

Ake has been widely expected to move on from Manchester City and West Ham United tried to sign him in January, but he was not interested in joining the Hammers.

The defender’s decision has since been proven correct, with the Hammers relegated.

He is in demand again this summer and Everton have been heavily linked with wanting to sign Ake.

The Toffees have Michael Keane and James Tarkowski amongst their centre-back options, and both are now 33 years old, meaning there is a need to plan ahead.

Everton though may need to act quickly, as Fenerbahce are now ready to push for Ake, following the uncertainty of their presidential election being resolved.

According to Turkish outlet HT Spor (via Fanatik), ‘the plane is taking off’ and Fenerbahce sporting director Oguz Cetin will ‘soon travel to England’ to try to do the Ake transfer

Joining Fenerbahce may be tempting for Ake, with the club set to fight for the Turkish Super Lig title and compete in Europe.

The centre-back, who is a multiple-time Premier League winner and a Champions League winner, would bring much-needed experience in David Moyes’ defence.

Earlier this month, Ake was offered to Italian clubs Juventus, AC Milan and Inter ahead of the transfer window, in a further sign he is available.

With the summer transfer window on the horizon, the Toffees are looking to build on a respectable campaign under Moyes by strengthening their squad.