Manchester City prepared to win race for John Stones with £50m bid Matt Law, football news correspondent
1 JULY 2016 • 10:30PM
Manchester City are prepared to pay up to £50million to land John Stones and are confident of signing the defender in time for him to return from a post-Euro 2016 break to pre-season training with them. Everton have placed the £50m valuation on Stones, but that has done nothing to deter City and a firm bid is expected to be placed imminently.
New City manager Pep Guardiola has earmarked Stones as a key part of his revolution and his determination to get the 22-year-old was strengthened by Aymeric Laporte’s decision to stay at Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea have also been chasing Stones, but City are confident that their willingness to spend so big on the England international has effectively made it a one-horse race for his signature. City also believe Stones has already made his mind up that he wants to move to the Etihad, with sources in the England camp claiming it was an open secret during Euro 2016. Stones did not play a single minute in the tournament, which was seen as one of the catalogue of errors made by Roy Hodgson because the former Barnsley youngster had been England’s best defender over the warm-up games.
City are likely to start the bidding at under £50m, but have not balked at the idea of eventually going that high to get their man. Stones will comfortably become the most expensive defender in English history, as his fee will outstrip the £34m Manchester United spent on Rio Ferdinand in 2002. Chelsea failed with four bids for Stones last year, the highest of which was £37m, and new Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri wanted to hold on to the player again.
But Moshiri has been convinced it will do the player nor the club any good to keep him against his wishes for a second successive season, so Everton will reluctantly sell when City match or get close enough to their valuation.
Despite the fact he did not play, Stones has around three weeks off after being at the Euros with England and the expectation is that a deal with City will be completed in time for him to go straight into pre-season training with his new club.
While Everton are now resigned to losing Stones, albeit for a very good fee, Moshiri is determined to do everything in his power to keep striker Romelu Lukaku at the club.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/07/01/manchester-city-prepared-to-win-race-for-john-stones-with-50m-bi/ [ 此帖被羅力亞在2016-08-09 19:13重新編輯 ]