Manchester City center-back John Stones has been made available to the Blues for a price-tag of £20 million this summer, reports suggest. The English international has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium over the last season and could be offloaded by Manchester City to make way for potential new signings.
With Frank Lampard being on a mission to fortify his defensive squad depth ahead of the upcoming season, Stones had emerged as a target for the Chelsea FC boss. The center-back has not enjoyed the most productive of spells at Manchester City since signing for them in 2016.
Initially tipped to be a successor to Vincent Kompany as the club’s primary center-back, Stones’ performances of late has failed to justify the £50 million transfer fee Manchester City paid for him four summers ago.
Pep Guardiola handed just 12 Premier League starts to the 26-year old defender last season. Instead, the Spanish manager chose to give a much greater first-team involvement to teenage center-back prospect Eric Garcia, who is a target for FC Barcelona in this summer’s transfer window.
However, it is believed that Stones is demanding a significant wage bump to sign for Frank Lampard’s side. According to reports, the ex-Everton man is seeking a £200,000-per-week salary, which does not sit well with the west London club, considering the Blues’ desire to keep player salaries at the minimum.
