Man City set Newcastle £50m price tag for Ake as Howe eyes reunion

Newcastle have been set a price of £50 million if they want to land defender Nathan Ake from Premier League champions Manchester City.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe is keen to link up with the Dutchman after their time together at Bournemouth as he looks to bolster his defensive options ahead of next season, with the player's £80,000-a-week wages unlikely to hinder a deal.

Howe initially enquired about Ake in January and according to The Sun, the Newcastle manager has pinpointed him as a top target this summer.

Ake spent four years under the guidance of Howe at the Vitality Stadium between 2016 and 2020 before Ake sealed a £40m move to City in 2020.

But the 27-year-old has played a bit-part role under Pep Guardiola, playing second fiddle to Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones.

Ake has still won two Premier League titles and a League Cup at the Etihad but it is thought that Guardiola will not stand in the way of a departure, should the club's valuation of the player be met.

A move to a rejuvenated Newcastle could offer Ake a chance to boost his chances of making the Netherlands squad ahead of the World Cup in November.

With Newcastle prioritising defensive reinforcements, the addition of Ake could pave the way for Howe to begin adding firepower to his front line with a raid on Ligue 1 likely.

Newcastle have agreed a fee in the region of £36m with French club Reims for promising attacker Hugo Ekitike, whilst Lyon's Brazilian forward Lucas Paqueta continues to be monitored.

Bayer Leverkusen's exciting winger Moussa Diaby is another player Newcastle are watching with the 22-year-old reportedly open to leaving the Bundesliga side this summer.

Newcastle were European football's top spenders in the January transfer window,