Manchester City have stepped up the pursuit of their number one transfer target; Manager Pep Guardiola is now ready to sanction a £50 million offer to bring young Englishman John Stones to the Etihad Stadium.
22-year-old Everton center-back John Stones has been touted as one of the biggest talents in football over the past couple of seasons. The Toffees managed to hold off Jose Mourinho and Chelsea last summer, as they rejected three transfer offers made by the Blues for Stones. However they may not be able to repeat that feat this transfer window, despite the infusion of cash following the takeover by Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are now prepared to make Stones the most expensive English signing of all time. Man City would be breaking their own record, which they set last season with the transfer of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool for £49 million.
According to BBC, a deal is yet to be agreed but City are warming up to the £50 million valuation that his current club Everton have of Stones. New manager Pep Guardiola has identified him as a player who fits into his tactical approach to the game.
“Normally central defenders are strong in the air and aggressive,” said Guardiola on Wednesday, according to the same report.
“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.”
Stones was also believed to be a long-time target of Guardiola’s former club Barcelona and City’s cross-town rivals Manchester United. However he has been consistently linked with a move to the Blue side of Manchester for the past few weeks, with Everton trying desperately to hold him to his contract running till 2019.
The John Stones saga is one that has garnered divided opinions between pundits and fans, with many advising him to leave and some advising him to stay put. A move could well work out in Stones favour, given the big possibility of first team football. Captain Vincent Kompany is perennially injured, and the Englishman should get into the Man City first team ahead of Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi going by form.
