MX23RW : Friday, January 31 01:06:06| >> :120:20229:20229:

Arsenal 'step up interest in Manchester City centre-back John Stones'

Arsenal 'step up interest in John Stones'
© Reuters
Arsenal are reportedly ready to step up their interest in Manchester City centre-back John Stones, but could face competition from Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

Arsenal have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Manchester City centre-back John Stones.

The 25-year-old has fallen out of favour at the Etihad Stadium, with makeshift defender Fernandinho preferred at the heart of the defence for much of the campaign while Aymeric Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi also sit above him in Pep Guardiola's pecking order.

Man City are expected to undergo an overhaul of their defensive unit this summer and have been linked with a big-money move for Milan Skriniar, which would further limit Stones's first-team chances.

TEAMtalk reports that Arsenal are now ready to step up their efforts to sign the England international, whom City would be willing to let leave for around £50m this summer.

Mikel Arteta worked with Stones during his time at the Etihad Stadium and believes that he could help to shore up an Arsenal defence which has shipped 36 goals in 28 Premier League games this season.

However, the Gunners could face competition from North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while Stones's former club Everton are also thought to be monitoring the situation.

ID:392253: cacheID:392253:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2873:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Jesse Lingard in action with Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar in the International Champions Cup on July 20, 2019
Read Next:
Man City 'line up summer bid for Milan Skriniar'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!