Chelsea have had defensive issues this season, and one player that Frank Lampard can turn to for next season is academy product Nathan Ake, who has improved massively as a Bournemouth player.

Chelsea sold Ake to Bournemouth in 2017 for a fee of £20m, and a clause was inserted in his contract that will allow the Blues to buy back the defender for £40m.

The Blues opted against triggering his £40m clause during the January window, despite having their transfer ban lifted.

Ake has now grown into a top centre-half, and has caught the eye of Manchester United boss Olé Gunnar Solskjaer, who’s also keen on signing a defender during the summer transfer window.

Manchester United defeated Bournemouth 5-2 over the weekend, and BT Sport posted a Twitter video on Sunday morning which showed the players and managers interacting after the match.

Many believe that Solskjaer told Ake: “Good luck. We need a left-footed centre-back, keep going.”

However, Solskjaer has denied that he’s interested in a move for Ake.

When asked about his remarks to Ake, Solskjer said at his press conference on Wednesday: “I’ve got seven centre-backs, so I don’t know where that comes from. We’re fine.”

Chelsea do really need a defender like Ake at the moment, and while Solskjaer has denied any interest in the Dutch international, we do not expect that he’d say the truth about his desire to sign Ake.