1:13 Eddie Howe says there has been no approach for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake Eddie Howe says there has been no approach for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake

Eddie Howe says there has not been any formal interest in Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake.

Reports in Friday's newspapers linked the Netherlands international with a move to Arsenal following Calum Chambers' long-term injury.

Ake is also a target for Manchester City and Chelsea with the latter having a £40m buy-back clause for the 24-year-old, who left Stamford Bridge for £20m in 2017.

When asked if Bournemouth has been approached by clubs for Ake, Howe said: "Nothing to report on Nathan (Ake). He is recovering well from his injury, we will see when he is back fit."

Ake has been missing since coming off injured during Bournemouth's match with Liverpool at the start of December.

David Brooks is one of the players Eddie Howe is hoping to get back fit soon

He has been one of a number of absentees for Bournemouth and Howe says his focus is getting those back fit rather than the transfer window.

Josh King, Jack Stacey, Adam Smith, Arnaut Groeneveld, Charlie Daniels, Lloyd Kelly and David Brooks are all still missing and will not be available for Bournemouth's FA Cup third-round fixture with Luton on Saturday evening.

Howe added: "The biggest thing for us is to get some players back who are injured. We know the quality of players who are missing.

"If we can [sign players], then great. I'm not going to give you any definitive ideas for what it will happen. Maybe loans but maybe nothing. It'll depend on the injured players coming back."

2:56 FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from West Ham's win against Bournemouth in the Premier League FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from West Ham's win against Bournemouth in the Premier League

Saturday's FA Cup game will come as a welcome distraction for Bournemouth after they slipped into the bottom three of the Premier League having lost eight of their last 10 league matches.

Howe was speaking on the 11th anniversary of his first match in charge of Bournemouth, a trip to Darlington as caretaker boss with the club battling relegation in League Two.

He saved the club that season, not just from relegation but also possibly going out of business.

Howe, 31 at the time, says the experience has helped him in his career and can help save their season.

He said: "That first season prepared me in so many good ways for what will come after. It was the ultimate pressure because the fate of the football club hanged in the balance.

"I was fortunate to be thrust into that position but it was also uncomfortable.

"We had to stay in the Football League at all costs. They were high-pressured games. The Chester game, the Grimsby game. They were pivotal matches. It's quite nice to look back now because we stayed in the league."

How to follow the January transfer window

Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.

Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.

Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.

And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.