John Stones has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester City (Getty Images)
According to the Mirror (h/t Daily Mail), Chelsea are ready to table a £20million bid for Manchester City defender John Stones.
The Blues are hopeful they can secure the services of the 26-year-old Stones on a cut-price deal, having fallen down the pecking order under Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in recent times. Stones joined City from rivals Everton for a sum of around £47million back in 2016 but has never really established himself at the Etihad.
Constant injuries and poor form seemed to have affected the centre-back, who has spent the majority of his time at City warming the benches. Moreover, with the club roping in Dutch defender Nathan Ake from Bournemouth recently, Stones’ chances of a first-team contention has come under even more jeopardy.
However, he has still managed 133 appearances for Guardiola’s side, proving that he is nothing short of experience. With the player clearly not one of the favourites at City anymore, Chelsea have now expressed an interest in signing him.
Meanwhile, Chelsea under new boss Frank Lampard have made it their priority to strengthen the defence, after conceding as many as 54 goals from 38 league matches.
A shaky and inconsistent backline has seen Chelsea emerge as the side with the worst defensive record in the top half of the table despite finishing fourth and securing a Champions League spot. This won’t serve the club well going forward.
The Blues centre-backs involving the likes of experienced defenders Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen have been inconsistent throughout the season.
Apart from these three, Lampard just has academy graduate Fiakayo Tomori at his disposal. Though he has shown immense maturity, featuring 15 times for them in the league this term, there is still room for development, clearly making sense of Chelsea’s interest in Stones.
Moreover, having spent a major share of his time at the Etihad on the sidelines, Stones will be keen on proving a point, which, in turn, would help Chelsea. Hence, the Blues must push ahead in their efforts to bring him to Stamford Bridge as he could prove to be the answer to their defensive woes.
First of all, Stones is a clearly unwanted man at City and a newer challenge at a club like Everton could offer him an opportunity to revive his career. In that sense, it looks like a win-win situation for both parties and Chelsea have made the right choice by approaching him. Moreover, Stones is an experienced customer and still has plenty of football left in him.
