Manchester City place contract talks on hold with first-team centre-back as current deal expires in 2026 | OneFootball

Decision makers at Manchester City are prepared to run the risk of allowing John Stones to enter into the final year of his existing contractual agreement.

The centre-back who was signed from Everton in the summer market of 2016 has remained a staple of Pep Guardiola’s line-ups during the Catalan’s reign at the Etihad Stadium, undertaking a variety of roles for the club.

Despite being commonly viewed as a central defender, Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign of 2022/23 saw Stones emerge as a versatile option for Guardiola in all of the centre of defence, right-back, and defensive midfield.

The UEFA Champions League final against Inter then saw Stones adopt more of an attacking midfield role in Istanbul, and to great effect as well as Manchester City claimed Europe’s best honour for the first time in the club’s history.

But despite those exceptional highs, there remains some element of doubt as to whether John Stones will remain a main part of Manchester City’s first-team picture, with the club prepared to delay any potential talks over a new deal.

According to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, decision makers at the Etihad Stadium will wait until ‘the early part of next year’ before sitting down to discuss John Stones’ contract situation.

The England international – who took on the captain’s armband during the latest international break – will see his current agreement expire in the summer of 2026, meaning City run the risk of allowing the player to enter into the final year of his contract.

Stones has previously come close to an exit from Manchester City earlier in his career, having battled with consistent injury problems throughout the 2019/20 season and subsequently finding himself outside of Guardiola’s starting line-up picture.

During a recent conversation with BBC Sport, Stones opened up on his struggles of 2019 and 2020, admitting that he was left with the ultimate footballing dilemma at the top of the game, but opted to fight for his place at the Etihad Stadium – proven to fantastic effect.

“I wasn’t playing at City, I wasn’t for England,” Stones said. “Struggling with not playing, mentally tough, doubting massively. I thought I’ve got two roads; accept that and move, or stay and fight. I wanted to prove to myself I was good enough.”