Nathan Aké entered the last season of his Manchester City contract with his playing time already shrinking. Under Pep Guardiola, the Dutch defender started just 17 matches across all competitions, only six of them in the Premier League, a sharp drop for a player who had been a regular fixture in City’s back line for years. That reduced role set the stage for what came next.
Aké leaves Manchester City after six years, completing a permanent transfer to Fenerbahçe. Fenerbahçe confirmed the move with an official announcement, stating the club had reached an agreement with the Netherlands international and signed him to a contract. The Turkish side said Aké will join the squad at its training camp in Austria once the post-World Cup break ends.
“Transfer notification: Our club has reached an agreement with Netherlands national team player Nathan Ake and signed a contract with the player,” Fenerbahçe said in its statement confirming the deal.
A modest fee for a City veteran
The financial terms are relatively small by Manchester City’s standards. The deal is worth around £7 million in fixed payments, with up to £1.5 million in add-ons, taking the total value as high as £8.5 million. At the time Fenerbahçe published its announcement, sources close to Manchester City still indicated that discussions over the exact figures were ongoing.
That fee stands in stark contrast to what City originally spent to bring Aké in. Manchester City paid Bournemouth £41 million for the defender in August 2020, a figure nearly six times higher than the maximum £8.5 million now recouped in his sale to Fenerbahçe, underlining just how far his market value fell over six seasons at the Etihad.
Aké arrived at City from Bournemouth in August 2020 and went on to make 177 appearances for the club across six seasons. In that time he won 12 trophies: four Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FIFA Club World Cup, two FA Cups, two League Cups, one Community Shield and one UEFA Super Cup, a haul that places him among the more decorated squad members of City’s recent era even as his role diminished at the end.
Leaving as a new era begins
Aké’s departure lands just as Manchester City turns the page. Enzo Maresca was announced as the club’s new head coach on June 29, 2026, signing a three-year contract to succeed Guardiola, who left the post after ten years in charge. City agreed to pay Chelsea more than £17 million, roughly €20 million, in compensation to secure Maresca’s services.
The exit also fits a broader pattern in City’s business this window. According to reporting on the negotiations, the club’s priority in this transfer market has been freeing up wages and squad space rather than maximizing sale revenue, which helps explain why a player who cost £41 million was allowed to leave for a fraction of that fee.
Aké is 31, plays for the Netherlands national team and featured at the 2026 World Cup before completing the move. He now joins a Fenerbahçe side that finished the 2025-26 Süper Lig season as runner-up, behind Galatasaray, and is looking to strengthen its defense for European competition.
