Locked on Man City's bench and loaded with Premier League experience, Nathan Ake could be the hidden gem Chelsea are looking for to replace Antonio Rudiger... but how much has he improved after just 19 league starts under Pep Guardiola?

When Nathan Ake arrived at the Etihad for £41million in August 2020, a first-team spot was in touching distance.

Despite storming to a fourth Premier League crown in 2019-20, Manchester City were fully experimenting in defence following the exit of club captain and star defender Vincent Kompany the previous summer.

Injuries to John Stones and Aymeric Laporte limited the pair to fewer than 20 Premier League starts each, which left Nicolas Otamendi as the most used central defender in Pep Guardiola's squad at the end of the season.

Nathan Ake joined Man City for u00a341m in 2020 after suffering relegation with Bournemouth

The club were eager to find a long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany who left in 2019

Due to his flattering price tag, Ake landed in Manchester with a golden chance to cement himself as a first-team regular, but the arrival of Ruben Dias a month later threw a spanner in the works.