Newcastle United given boost in pursuit of defender Nathan Ake as key stat highlighted

Newcastle United have been given a large boost in their pursuit of Manchester City and Netherlands defender Nathan Ake. The 27-year-old has made just 24 top-flight appearances across his two terms under Pep Guardiola and is said to have been given the green light to leave the club this summer.

Moving from Bournemouth to the Blues back in 2020, cost the current Premier League champions £41million, the defender still has three years left on his current deal. It is hard to imagine the former Chelsea man wont come cheap if the Magpies are to continue in their pursuit however.

With two Premier League titles and a League Cup success under his name too during his time in the north west, it remains to be seen whether Ake would prefer a move elsewhere, having played back up to Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte for most of the campaign.

Most impressive of his statistics however under Guardiola is his ability to play out from the back and build attacks progressively. Ranking in the 99th percentile for both short passes both completed and attempted this season via , Eddie Howe may look to Ake for a more calming head in his newly formed backline.

Conceding just five goals when on the pitch during his 21/22 Premier League campaign too, his versatility has also impressed throughout the season, being comfortable to slot in at both centre back and full back very easily whenever called upon. With a 91.6% pass completion percentage, the Magpies 4-3-3 preferred system would perhaps suits the 27-year-old's adaptive play style.

Still capped internationally too, there is also trust at international level, with Netherlands inundated with a number of complete centre backs. Virgil van Dijk, Sven Botman and Jurrien Timber are all impressive