Chelsea will reportedly only pursue Nathan Ake if they can get Andres Christensen off of the wage bill. The Blues have a £40 million buy-back option for Ake that expires at the end of the month but are not willing to make a move unless they move on another centre-back.
The Blues require defensive reinforcements after a shaky start to the campaign. Lampard has seen his team concede far more goals than he would have liked and is looking at bringing in new faces at the back.
Ake is the obvious option and knows the club well because of his previous spell there. The Sun has reported that Chelsea are delaying a move for the Bournemouth man. Those at Stamford Bridge reportedly want to offload Andres Christensen before making a bid.
The 23-year-old Denmark international has seen his progress stall in recent times. After an impressive two-year loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach, he has struggled to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League and has made mistakes when picked this season.
AC Milan are now reportedly interested in his services and could make a move for him in the coming weeks. If that move goes through, Chelsea are likely to exercise their buy-back option for Ake.
The Bournemouth defender is probably an all-round better centre-back. He is more physical and has become a key figure for the club in recent times. Signing him for £40m would be a good deal for the Blues and would certainly sturdy up the defence.
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