Man City 'open contract talks' with player Pep Guardiola thinks is 'top-class'
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(Credit: Hasan Karim - Breaking Media, Getty)
Oliver Walton
Fri 26 September 2025 17:05, UK
Man City are due to imminently hold new contract talks with a player who Pep Guardiola rates very highly despite a slow start to the new season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have endured a mixed campaign up to now, with the after-effects of the Club World Cup still clearly on show in successive losses to Tottenham and Brighton prior to the international break.
Man City bounced back in style with a 3-0 win against Man United though, and they have continued that form with wins against Napoli and Huddersfield Town and a 1-1 draw against title-rivals Arsenal last weekend.
Savinho is set to sign a new contract at Man City soon, despite summer interest from Tottenham, while the likes of Ruben Dias and Rico Lewis each penned fresh terms in recent months ahead of this campaign.
The Citizens are now about to open talks with another key defender over a new deal, and it will please Pep Guardiola, but may annoy some supporters.
Credit: Imago
John Stones is a five-time Premier League winner with Man City has been lauded for his impressive performances over the years under Guardiola, but has also been blighted by constant injury issues which saw him make just 11 league appearances last term.
Despite those concerns, the Daily Star (26 September) have revealed that City are poised to open contract talks with Stones soon, with his current deal set to expire next summer.
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The 31-year-old is believed to want to agree a deal that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2028, while he harbours ambitions of seeing out the rest of his career at the club.
Credit: Getty Images
City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak is also reportedly desperate to extend Stones’ contract so he does not depart the club a free transfer next summer, so it certainly seems likely that he stays.
The Daily Star’s report also states that City boss Guardiola is keen to see Stones extend his deal at the Etihad Stadium, and that comes as little surprise considering how he has previously praised the defender.
He spoke about the importance of having him fit prior to the start of this campaign last month, saying: “He [Stones] is a top-class player, but last season he played less than 30 per cent of the games for us.
We have good central defenders, but we need him.”
AppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsTrophies282199915Stones’ Man City statistics
That is a glowing review of his talents if there ever was one, but Man City fans have blasted Stones for his constant injury issues, which reared their head a few weeks ago as he had to pull out of the England squad with a muscle problem.
He needs to prove his fitness to win those supporters back over, but clearly has little to do to impress Guardiola or chairman Al-Mubarak any further, with a new deal seemingly a formality in the weeks and months to come.