Manchester City have opened talks with Everton over a deal for John Stones, according to reports.
With Vincent Kompany set to miss the start of the season through injury, Martin Demichelis having been released, and neither Nicolas Otamendi or Eliaquim Mangala managing to fully convince in the Premier League, City are in the market for a new centre-back.
Leonardo Bonucci – who featured in our top five defensive targets – had been mooted, but it now appears City manager Pep Guardiola has set his sights on England international Stones.
The 22-year-old is expected to cost around £50million and it is understood the two clubs are not far apart in their valuations.
Stones’ comfort on the ball and willingness to play out from the back – which has often attracted criticism – is likely to fit Guardiola’s philosophy.
“Normally central defenders are strong in the air and aggressive,” said Guardiola on Wednesday.
“But we need to have a good build-up to create easy passes in the midfield so they can create good passes for the strikers.
“I believe when the ball goes from the central defender to the striker as quickly as possible, it comes as quickly as possible back.
“That is why the players in that area need quality. By 31 August we will have the right squad to play how we want.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, has also suggested he could use midfielder Fernandinho in defence .
Exelon is used to treat mild to moderate dementia. X w/ Elon (Xelon) will be…
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, recently caused controversy by suggesting that Twitter…
Croatia is set to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will take place…
The 2022 World Cup is fast approaching, and football fans around the world are gearing…
Check Dream Squasher by BeatsEngine.com out on Spotify and Itunes ♪ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/BeatsEngine?sub_confirmation=1 ♪ Visit:…
A wide range of nutritious foods should be included in all healthy diets. These foods…
This website uses cookies.