Chelsea defender Nathan Ake is set to hold crunch talks with the club over his future at Stamford Bridge, reports The Guardian.
The 22-year-old spent the first half of this season on loan at fellow Premier League outfit Bournemouth, playing 12 times and netting three goals for the Cherries in all competitions, and earning many rave reviews along the way.
However, his spell on the South Coast was cut short in January when Blues boss Antonio Conte recalled him, although the Dutchman managed just one Premier League start and three FA Cup starts from then on in, instead spending most of his time on the substitute’s bench.
Yet Ake doesn’t appear willing to be sitting on the bench over the coming years, and has said that he will hold talks with the club about his immediate future in West London.
He said in an interview with The Guardian: ‘I think at my age now, you want to play a little bit more, also because I had a taste of it.
‘Of course you also know this is a big club, so there will be big players and it’s not easy to come into the team.
‘I just need to see what is going to happen with Michael [Emenalo, the technical director] or the manager. We have to talk and see what is best.’
Although the 22-year-old only made two starts upon his return to Chelsea this season, he seriously impressed in their 4-2 FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham at Wembley, further underlining his credentials and undoubted potential to go on and become a quality defender.
However, it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to force his way into Conte’s first team on a regular basis next season, which surely opens up the possibility of a move away this summer, be it on a temporary or permanent deal.