Manchester City have reportedly entered talks with defender John Stones over a new contract
The 29-year-old plays a pivotal role in the club’s well-stitched defence, the England international has become a robust ball-playing defender under Pep Guardiola. The inverted right-back role he has adopted has brought stability to the defence and it has helped the club strengthen their defensive department.
With linking arms with Rodri in the middle of Guardiola’s 3-2-4-1 system, Stones has made over 34 appearances during the Citizens’ treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, making the PFA Team of the Year and Champions League Team of the Season.
This season the 29-year-old has struggled to make a mark due to injuries hence he has made only 5 appearances so far.
Stones – who has a total of 15 goals and five assists to show from 233 matches for the Premier League champions had penned a long-term extension back in 2021 and those terms do not expire until the summer of 2026.
Football Transfers claim that the Premier League giants are looking to tie him to a longer contract which would see the Englishman stay at the club beyond the 2026 season.
Allegedly a consensus has been reached between the two parties which would see a concrete discussion take place over a longer contract extension for the player.
The ex-Barnsley youngster was already handed a bumper pay rise with his current terms however reports suggest that his new contract will make him the highest-earning player, putting him on par with Erling Halland. Pep Guardiola is pushing for a contract extension as he considers Stones to be a vital player.
Any new terms would keep Stones at the Etihad until the end of the 2026-27 season, by which time the centre-back – who cost the club £48.2m in 2016 – will be 33 years of age.
Manchester City has gone on a contract extension spree and they have tied Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Nathan Ake, Julian Alvarez and Scott Carson to long-term contracts.
Contract extension talks with Kevin De Bruyne are also on the cards as his contract is set to expire in 2025 however the talks haven’t begun as the Belgian international is currently recovering from a severe hamstring injury.
In addition, Man City agreed an extension with head coach Guardiola last year until the summer of 2025, but the report adds that the Premier League champions want to keep the 52-year-old around for longer.
Guardiola is eager to see many of his current players being tied to long-term contracts. This is being done in a bid to follow his long-term plans however penning long-term contracts is a robust mechanism followed to fend off any interest shown by other clubs.
Embed from Getty ImagesManchester City slotted 6 goals past Bournemouth in their latest Premier League outing. A win against Bournemouth took them to the top of the table (a point ahead of second-place Tottenham Hotspur). Manchester City will now focus their attention on the Champions League where they will clash with Young Boys.
