Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton will be the three clubs leading the way to sign Manchester City defender John Stones, according to the Telegraph‘s Northern Football Correspondent James Ducker.
The England international’s future has been called into question after manager Pep Guardiola confirmed he will hold talks with the player at the end of the season:
“What I want is the best for him. We’ll speak at the end of the season about what is going to happen. Sometimes my wish is not the wish of the players or the wish of the situation for the club.”
“At the moment [if] I will feel it, if we have to change, we’ll talk to them. He’s a young player and we want him to be consistent, to train and recover. There are players who can play every three days for 11 months, others struggle more to be fit and we try to find the key to playing every three days.”
Guardiola’s comments suggest Stones’ inability to stay fit will be the main reason that the Citizens decide to cut their losses on the 26-year-old.
The centre-back has suffered with a number of hamstring and soft tissue injuries over the past few seasons, limiting his game time, and it has also cost him in terms of getting consistent runs in the side.
However, City supporters will feel the main reason Stones will be offloaded is the number of mistakes he makes that cost the team goals and points. If they do decide to sell, the Manchester club will have to take a hit on the £50m they paid to sign him four years ago.
