Chelsea £50m transfer call that has made Man City millions in two years
manchestereveningnews.co.ukChelsea were in a hurry to show they meant business two years ago under new ownership, and that meant heavy spending. Todd Boehly and his group splashed over £250m on talent in the aim to propel them up the league, including a £47.5m statement signing of Raheem Sterling from Premier League champions Manchester City and a £62m splurge on Brighton defender Marc Cucurella.
City had walked away from a deal for Cucurella long before Chelsea thrashed out terms with Brighton. For all the money that they did spend though, one of the most significant pieces of business came in a sale that didn't go through.
It was almost exactly two years ago when City pulled the plug on the sale of Nathan Ake. There had been persistent reports that a deal would go through, yet Chelsea never came close to meeting the £50m valuation and the Blues got tired of waiting, knowing they also needed time to buy a replacement. READ MORE: Rodri gets unexpected boost after injury scare for Man City star READ MORE: Man City make Kalvin Phillips decision as Erling Haaland back in training At the time, City fans weren't adamant about Ake staying given he hadn't worked his way up from fourth-choice centre-back in his two years at the club.
And Chelsea fans had to be convinced he was worth the money, with the club having failed to match City in 2020 to buy him despite having a clause in his Bournemouth contract.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk