Boehly ascertains valuations of Sterling and Ake, as intriguing Tuchel subplot emerges

Todd Boehly has enquired about the valuations of Manchester City duo Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake amid the prospect of a double deal for Chelsea.

Boehly will be overseeing Chelsea’s transfer business this summer after taking over the club. He will hope to gift head coach Thomas Tuchel some strong players to bolster his squad.

Chelsea are aiming to improve at both ends of the pitch. They have lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen at the back; up front, Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner could move on.

With that in mind, they have been drafting up shortlists for each position. In attack, they have opened talks with Manchester City over the prospect of signing winger Sterling.

There seems to be optimism in that pursuit, with some sources claiming they could do a deal within a week.

But Sterling is not the only Manchester City player being discussed by Chelsea. As reminded by the Daily Telegraph, they are also keen on defender Ake.

The Dutchman used to play for Chelsea, but found regular gametime hard to come by. He is in a similar predicament at City, but would stand a better chance of featuring heavily if he returned to Stamford Bridge.

The Telegraph reveal that Boehly’s talks with City, which are open, are about signing both players. He has been trying to ascertain their valuations.

Sterling and Ake are each said to be open to joining Chelsea. They both appeal thanks to their Premier League experience.

Interestingly, the Telegraph report that Tuchel wanted to sign Ake for Borussia Dortmund when he was in charge there. Soon, he could finally get the chance to work with him.

Ake may prove to be a more realistic alternative to other defensive targets like Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde. The Juventus and Sevilla men are both expensive.

That said, Chelsea want to sign at least two defenders, so the addition of Ake would not necessarily rule out a further pursuit. Talks are ongoing for Kounde, the report reminds, but De Ligt’s price tag is proving prohibitive.

Ake and Sterling can succeed at Chelsea

Chelsea seem sensible to be pursuing both players. Their valuations should be realistic, given that Sterling is entering the final year of his contract and Ake is not a mainstay of the Man City lineup.

Raheem Sterling over Ousmane Dembele for Chelsea

Chelsea believe that Raheem Sterling is the better option compared to Ousmane Dembele due to poor injury record

Both would have a good chance of starting for Chelsea. Sterling’s qualities out wide would be fairly unique to their current crop. Ake, meanwhile, has a place waiting for him on the left-hand side of the back three after Rudiger’s exit.

The report suggests if Kounde was to join, they may use him as a wing-back at first to bed him into Premier League action. This would seem a strange step for one of Europe’s most promising central defenders.

Therefore, tactically, pursuing Ake may be the best fit if they are going to use him in his correct role. If they want to add Kounde as a centre-half, though, he would be a good option.

But progress is now being made on a double deal with City. Perhaps Ake and Sterling will be in Chelsea shirts next season.

READ MORE: Andreas Christensen opens up on Chelsea exit, explaining why it is ‘right time’ to leave