Newcastle United ‘hopeful’ of summer transfer for Manchester City defender

With the Magpies Premier League status looking secure ahead of next season, the club are already planning their transfers ahead of a very busy summer.

According to Give Me Sport, the new owners are eager to give the team a new look spine, with Manchester City’s John Stones a potential new addition.

The report claims that Newcastle are ‘hoping’ they can negotiate a deal for the centre-back, two years after Rafa Benitez looked to bring him to Tyneside.

The 27-year-old played a pivotal role during Man City’s three Premier League title wins, however he has only featured ten times in the league this season.

It is unclear how much City would demand for the England international, however it won’t be cheap given he only signed a new five-year deal with the club in August.

The current league champions signed Stones in a deal worth a whopping £50 million in 2016 and will be eager to make their money back if he is to depart the Etihad Stadium.

Newcastle will be looking at a number of defensive options this summer given their poor record, while Stones could potentially partner up with their January recruit Dan Burn, with the likes of Jamaal Lascelles disappointing this season.

The Tyneside club had previously been linked with the likes of Diego Carlos, Sven Botman and James Tarkowski during the January transfer window.