John Stones has allegedly chosen to make a return to Everton this summer, after Manchester City announced the defender will leave at the end of the season.
It was Sportsboom who claimed that Stones had picked Everton over Newcastle as the England international prepares to depart the Etihad Stadium, where he has played ever since making a £47.5m move from Goodison Park in August 2016.
However, a new story from the Daily Mail poses a problem for Everton when it comes to bringing Stones back to Merseyside.
Would a return for John Stones on a free make any sense for Everton? 🧐
His experience could prove priceless! 🏆
Bayern Munich could take John Stones out of reach for Everton
The Daily Mail have now revealed that Bayern Munich are seriously considering a move for the 31-year-old and could make an offer.
There are already a few familiar faces at the Allianz Arena who could tempt Stones to make the switch to Germany.
The former Everton defender has previously made 22 appearances alongside Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany for Manchester City, while he has also played 68 games with Harry Kane for England.
The Daily Mail reiterate that Everton are keen – along with Barcelona and Frank Lampard’s Coventry.
Stones – who Pep Guardiola called “incredible” – is available on a free transfer, but a significant salary offer will presumably need to be made in order to sign the central defender.
He currently earns £250,000-a-week at Manchester City, and may even seek a pay rise considering free agents typically receive a larger salary due to the lack of a transfer fee.
Not only would Stones reunite with Kompany and Kane in Munich, but the German champions can also offer him a fantastic chance to add to his trophy haul, given their status as one of the best sides on the planet right now.
Bayern Munich have won 45 and drawn six of their 53 games in all competitions so far this season, remarkably scoring 177 goals along the way. They could even add the DFB-Pokal to the Bundesliga title by overcoming Stuttgart on Saturday.
Everton need a transfer budget of at least _________ this summer
Fill in the blank…
So, should Bayern Munich firm up their interest with an actual contract offer, Everton will have to be incredibly persuasive to make Stones ignore it.
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