Liverpool are looking to secure the services of Manchester City defender John Stones this summer. According to recent reports, the Citizens centre-back has attracted interest from Jurgen Klopp’s Reds ahead of a potential move in the summer. However, the Merseyside club are not the only ones who are vying for the English defender’s signature as Arsenal are also interested and could rival them in pursuit of the former Everton star’s signature.
Stones have fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium in recent weeks, especially after the arrival of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao during the January transfer window. The reemergence of Vincent Kompany has not helped his cause as well so a move away from Manchester could materialise when the transfer window opens in the summer as Stones looks to secure the regular first-team football.
The English centre-back signed for City in the summer of 2016 for a fee in the region of £47.5m. He initially found life hard at Manchester, making a string of high-profile errors during his first season. However, he has excelled under the guidance of Guardiola and has taken great strides towards establishing himself as a world-class defender in the top tier of English football.
The Reds of Merseyside have a tally of 71 points in 35 league fixtures and find themselves in the 3rd spot in the Premier League standings. They are currently preparing for a crucial UEFA Champions League first-leg clash versus AS Roma at Anfield on Tuesday night.
The addition of Stones will undoubtedly bolster Jurgen Klopp’s defensive options ahead of the new campaign. The Anfield-based outfit have the likes of Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, Virgil Van Dijk, Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez vying for a place in the Liverpool first-team. The potential acquisition of Stones will improve their squad significantly and add more competition for places within Klopp’s squad.
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The 23-year-old defensive ace has featured in 27 matches for City this season, scoring 3 goals so far in all competitions. At 23, Stones still has his peak years ahead of him which the Reds could look to utilise in the coming years. The Englishman is also extremely versatile and primarily operates as a centre-back but can also be deployed in the right-back position which makes him a perfect fit for Klopp’s Liverpool team. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of Stones and whether he ends up making a switch to Anfield in the near future.
