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Tottenham face competition in the hunt for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake as Manchester City have joined the chase, according to The Sun.

What's the word?

Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham could be set for significant changes next year in the heart of their defence as both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld see their current deals expire at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, even though the north London outfit could choose to take up the one-year option they have on both players.

That has led the Lilywhites to pursue new recruits ahead of the January transfer window and Bournemouth's Nathan Ake has been touted as a top-target, although The Sun reveals a fight is on the cards with Manchester City also expressing an interest.

The report states Pep Guardiola's defending champions are considering a £40m move for the former Chelsea man, a fee which would be a significant outlay for Spurs as it would exceed the club-record fee they paid for Davinson Sanchez.

Is the race over?

Manchester City's emergence in the hunt for Nathan Ake's signature is bad news for Tottenham, who were already due to see an inflated price for the Netherlands international as Bournemouth are not willing to sell on the cheap.

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Also a target for Manchester United, a bidding war could be set to occur in the January window and Tottenham cannot afford to get sucked into that battle as their finances are likely to be restricted by their imminent stadium move.

While the 23-year-old is seen as the perfect recruit for Tottenham, who could help craft him into one of the best defenders in the Premier League, Pochettino must now look elsewhere if he is to bolster his defensive line in January.