Man City set sights on John Stones replacement, £70m could get deal done
Manchester City are preparing for a defensive revamp this summer after John Stones' departure and have turned their attention to a big-money replacement.
The England international could potentially be joined by the likes of Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias through the exit door in the summer, with Marc Guehi, Abdukhodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol clearly the ones to build the team around.
If City do sanction a mini overhaul of their backline, they will certainly want to sign reinforcements ahead of next season.
As such, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium and feels like a replacement for Stones.
The Sky Blues signed the 32-year-old from the Toffees in 2016 for around £50million and could go back to the Merseyside outfit for his successor.
While Branthwaite, 23, has shown a lot of promise at the Blues, fans in M11 certainly won't be able to look past his persistent injury record and be reminded of Stones.
Manchester City will have to pay significant sum for Jarrad Branthwaite deal
Man City aren't the only team keeping an eye on Branthwaite, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich also credited with an interest.
While the Sky Blues have been linked with the Everton centre-back, any move reportedly depends on players leaving from the Etihad Stadium.
Sources have told Football Insider that City are watching the English defender closely, but Everton have set a minimum asking price of £70m.
In the 2025-26 campaign, Branthwaite made 10 Premier League appearances for the Merseyside outfit as he dealt with multiple hamstring issues during the season.
Everton raid on cards from Etihad Stadium
Sources told Football Insider on 13 June that Enzo Maresca wants Everton's Iliman Ndiaye to succeed Savinho at Man City.
It looks like the Sky Blues are ready to pounce on all the big stars at Hill Dickinson Stadium as they look to strengthen their squad for the upcoming campaign.
James Garner is another player who will surely attract interest from top clubs in the coming months, but it remains to be seen whether his links with Man United would hinder a possible move to the Etihad Stadium.