Liverpool and Arsenal suffer blow in John Stones chase

Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with John Stones, but Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola does not want to sell him.

Posted Monday, April 30, 2018 by hitc.com

According to a recent report in The Sun, Liverpool and Arsenal could be interested in signing John Stones from Manchester City in the summer transfer window.

It was reported by the British tabloid that the Citizens were willing to sell the former Everton centre-back, and that Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal could be interested in the 23-year-old.

City manager Pep Guardiola, though, has stated that he is not going to sell Stones, who earns £100,000 per week as salary and cost the Citizens £47.5 million in transfer fees when they signed him from Everton in the summer of 2016, according to The Sun.

Guardiola told The Manchester Evening News: "John is not going to move. I don't know how long I will be here in Manchester, but as long as I'm here, John Stones will be with us.”

Blow for Liverpool and Arsenal?

Given the obvious talent and quality that Stones has, it is hard to envisage City selling him in the summer transfer window after just two seasons.

Of course, everything is possible in football, but Guardiola's comments do make it clear that the England international centre-back is part of his plans for the future.

Both Liverpool and Arsenal could do with a new centre-back next season, and the comments from the former Barcelona head coach on Stones will come as a blow to them.