Nathan Aké leaves Manchester City for Fenerbahçe after six trophy-laden years
After six years and 12 trophies at Manchester City, the Netherlands defender has joined Fenerbahçe on a three-year deal for a cut-price fee.
Jul 6, 2026
Nathan Aké’s time at Manchester City is over. The defender has left the Etihad to join Fenerbahçe on a three-year deal, a move worth around seven million pounds up front and up to 8.5 million with add-ons, closing a six-year stay that brought him just about everything the English game has to offer.
A quiet career of winning things
Aké was rarely the first name on the teamsheet, but he was almost always useful. Signed from Bournemouth in 2020, he made 177 appearances for City and filled in at centre-back and left-back whenever the team needed him, often stepping up in the biggest games without much fuss. The trophy haul tells the story of the era he was part of: four Premier League titles, the 2023 Champions League, a Club World Cup, two FA Cups, two League Cups, a Community Shield and a European Super Cup. Twelve major honours in six seasons is a return most players would take in a heartbeat.
“It’s been a privilege to represent Manchester City over the past six years and I’m so grateful to have been part of a special team,” Aké said in the club’s farewell message. “I’ve grown so much here, as a player and a person.”
A cut-price exit
The fee is the eye-catching part. City are letting a 31-year-old Netherlands international leave for a figure well below what a defender of his experience would normally command, a sign of both his age and a squad that is being refreshed around the edges this summer. His departure also thins out City’s cover on the left of defence, a spot they may now need to address before the window shuts on September 1.
For Aké, the timing makes sense. Chances at City had grown harder to guarantee, and a regular starting role at a club chasing the Turkish title and a serious run in Europe is a cleaner path into the back end of his career than another season of rotation. Fenerbahçe get a proven winner who knows what the biggest occasions feel like.
Straight out of the World Cup
The move comes days after Aké’s summer with the Netherlands ended. He was part of Ronald Koeman’s World Cup squad, appearing in the group stage before the Dutch were knocked out by Morocco in the round of 32. He will link up with his new team-mates once Fenerbahçe report for pre-season, swapping the blue of City for a fresh start in Istanbul.