Manchester City are drawing up a new contract for defender John Stones as they look to reward the 24-year-old for a strong World Cup showing for England, according to The Sun.
The newspaper claim that City are set to offer Stones a new deal worth £170,000-a-week, representing a £50,000-a-week pay rise on his current contract.
The Sun report that talks are set to begin soon between club and player, with Stones set to become one of the club’s highest earners.
A source is quoted as saying: “We all know about Stones’ price at the time but it feels like a snip in the current market. His performances at the World Cup reinforced the belief he will go on to become one of the best in the world as he continues to mature.
“He struggled to get in the team at times last year but that was mostly after his hamstring injury that was a problem. Stones is delighted how things have turned out for him since and we know he is ready to commit his future here.”
OPINION
This is a big statement from City that shows they have faith in Stones despite a tough six months or so towards the end of last season. As mentioned by the Sun’s source, Stones struggled to get back in the team following injury and it was widely speculated that he may end up leaving the club in search of first-team football. That however is unlikely to happen with this new deal on the way, which Stones is obviously likely to sign. He will hope that this new deal is followed by the chance to make his mark on the first-team again, something which is looking likely after he started against Huddersfield on Saturday. This is all just reward for his performances for England at the World Cup in Russia, where Stones marshalled the Three Lions defence brilliantly all tournament. At just 24 years old, Stones has many more years of development and could well go on to become one of the world’s best defenders, which is just what City are hoping for.