Manchester City appear to have won the race to sign long-standing transfer target John Stones, after the player's name appeared on the club's Champions League squad list on UEFA'"?s official website.
No photoshop. John Stones (number 24) appears on UEFA's website in Man City's CL squad. Must be close... pic.twitter.com/OrU7ne3flT
City play Romanian side Steaua Bucharest in the qualifying round before the group stages next week, and have had to announce their squad for those games in the last few hours. And despite no suggestion coming from either City or Stones' current club Everton that a deal was approaching, Stones' name is present on the list.
Reports from the "?Sun claim that the deal is on the verge of completion and that City will pay £42m plus add-ons for the 22-year-old. City have however admitted that an administrative error has allowed the deal to leak, and there are suggestions that even while his name has appeared, the deal is not yet complete.
.@ManCity Source: Stones inclusion in @ChampionsLeague squad is "huge embarrassment" for the club. #SSNHQ
Chelsea had a series of offers turned down for the player last season, but City now appear to have won the race - even while the deal is not yet over the line.
It could be officially announced within the next 24 hours, but the fact that Stones' name has appeared on the squad list means he'll be ready and able to feature in the game against Steaua next week. He's been given the number 24 shirt.
UEFA on Stones (1/2): "He was in the squad list we received from Manchester City. The deadline was yesterday and the player was in the squad
(2/2) "He has been registered to play (for City). We are double-checking now as we have had a lot of calls about this."
Everton are believed to be looking for a replacement for the man they initially signed from Barnsley, with Porto star Bruno Martins Indi linked with the club according to reports in Portugal on Monday.
However, Sunderland's Lamine Kone looks to be the initial signing brought in to replace him, as he was spotted in a Merseyside hotel posing for a picture with an Everton fan ahead of his potential £18m move.
Lamine Kone staying in a Liverpool hotel this evening. Bit strange, reportedly wants to stay at Sunderland. #EFC pic.twitter.com/fhDkoSEsvN
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