Virgil van Dijk has told Man City what they would lose by selling Nathan Ake

Liverpool central defender Virgil van Dijk has already told Manchester City what they would lose by selling Nathan Ake this summer.

Reports this week have suggested that City have told their Dutch defender that he is free to leave the club should he wish to. Due to the superb form of Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, Ake has sometimes found it difficult to break into the Blues' starting line-ups.

Despite this, the 27-year-old has managed an apt 27 appearances this season for Pep Guardiola's men, with performances against the likes of Arsenal particularly catching the eye. Should Guardiola have needed reminding of the abilities of Ake, the Reds' key player has spoken highly of City's man in the past.

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Speaking in 2020 while Ake was at AFC Bournemouth, Van Dijk said: "First of all, he’s a fantastic guy. I speak with him quite a bit at the national team and I think he’s a fantastic player as well.

"On Saturday he showed with clearances and I think he stepped up when he had the armband as well. It’s just good to see that he’s improving.

"I don’t know what might happen with him in the future with Bournemouth, you just have to stay grounded – but I am not worried about that at all." Van Dijk went on to add: "He has the quality but he has to have more than just the quality these days.

"But he’s still young, he’s improving and you never know what decision might happen. It’s all dependent on how the season will end for Bournemouth, too – but I am very positive about him."

As we all know, at the end of the season he would join City after continuing his impressive form on the south coast. His coach at Bournemouth, Eddie Howe,