Everton centre-back John Stones is reportedly ready to snub Spanish giants Barcelona in favour of a move to Manchester City, according to the Daily Mail.
It is believed the Catalan club met with Stones' agent Paul Martin last week to discuss possible terms on a £90k per week contract, which was subsequently rejected.
And esteemed sports journalist Gerard Romero believes Manchester City's interest in the 22-year old is the main reason behind his decision not to sign on the dotted line at Camp Nou.
In his article for SPORT, Romero claims that Pep Guardiola's new-look side will feature John Stones at the heart of its defence, paired with another potential new boy Aymeric Laporte.
Romero clearly believes the deal may already be in the works and said: "In the end, City will sign the player."
Former Barnsley defender Stones is known for his pace and ball-playing ability and was seen by Barcelona boss Luis Enrique as the perfect long-term replacement for Javier Mascherano.
But the lure of working under Pep Guardiola for one of England's biggest clubs has seemingly proved to be too good an offer to turn down.
Barcelona, who have tracked Stones since 2014, have certainly not been deterred by his dip in form at the end of last season for Everton. However, the spanner in the works is mostly down to wage structure.
With the La Liga winners paying astronomical wages to Neymar and Lionel Messi, their offer for Stones was considerably lower than that on the table from other clubs in the hunt.
The defender was also a target of Chelsea under José Mourinho last season but the difference in financial valuation proved to be too big a hurdle to get over.
With Stones' style of play suiting both Barcelona's play from the back attitude and Pep Guardiola's tiki-taka philosophy, it is fair to say he would fit in at either team.
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