The 22 year old centre-back is considered as one of the best young prospects in the world, and it is now being rumoured that he has rejected La Liga giants Barcelona in order to join their former manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City next season.
Last summer’s transfer window featured a lot of headlines about Everton defender John Stones. Chelsea, then headed by Jose Mourinho, launched 3 bids for Stones, reportedly rising up to £30 million, only for the Toffees to stand firm despite the player himself handing in a transfer request.
Stones has not had the best of seasons this time around, but the interest surrounding him remains at the same level, with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Manchester City all believed to be chasing the center-back’s signature.
Barcelona officials, who have apparently been following John Stones since 2014, recently met his agent Paul Martin last week and made an offer of £90,000 a week plus bonuses for trophies won, only to be rejected, according to the Daily Mail.
Barcelona have also been led to believe that Stones is eager to work with their former manager Pep Guardiola, who is now the manager of Manchester City, and that City will still try to sign him even if they land long-term defensive target Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao.
Stones could be the base of the next tiki-taka powerhouse
John Stones ability on the ball is what has put him on such a high pedestal with the best teams in the world. The defender is capable of playing the ball with both of his feet and has displayed ball-playing-ability even from his own box, a quality which would attract the interest of Barcelona and Pep Guardiola who base their football on tiki-taka.
The 22-year-old is the complete opposite of the traditional English defender, and could open up some exciting avenues for the national team as well as whichever club he opts to sign for in the future.
With Everton under new ownership and new management, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Stones. But he looks likely to be among the big names in football for years to come.
