Although, they could look a little closer to home for a new centre back. Despite a difficult season, John Stones remains the great young hope for England defenders. Stones' calmness in possession and ability to bring the ball out from the back could appeal to Guardiola, who has always been an advocate for high intensity passing football, which means his defenders have to be good footballers. Guardiola's style puts a lot of pressure on his centre backs to be brave with the ball, which Stones has shown multiple times for Everton this season. Despite sometimes making mistakes and seeing his bravery punished, the boldness of a player aged just 21 may give Guardiola a reason to take a chance on the former Barnsley centre back. One other component Manchester City must consider is the amount of English players they have in their squad. Premier League clubs must name eight homegrown players in their 25 man squad. This means any player that has come up through an English academy. Stones' nationality could give him the edge over Varane, but he wont be cheap. Chelsea reportedly had bids of over £40m rejected for the Everton youngster.
