Report: City confident of Stones signing, unsure on Bonucci
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Manchester City is apparently hopeful on brokering a deal worth around £46 million for Everton's John Stones, but efforts to bag Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus have stalled while Vincent Kompany's fitness is assessed.
The Guardian's Jamie Jackson understands Stones, 22, fits Pep Guardiola's mold as a centre-back who's comfortable in possession, and that the player's wish to leave Merseyside will help engineer a transfer underneath the reported £50-million asking price.
Misfiring striker Wilfried Bony was going to be used as a makeweight in the negotiations, but Everton is just interested in receiving only cash for its young defender.
City's new Spanish handler is prepared to hand Kompany an opportunity to prove he's injury-free before stepping up the pursuit for Bonucci, however. The Blues' esteemed skipper has suffered from repeated thigh problems, but the 30-year-old is believed to be cautiously optimistic about returning to his dominating best.
If Kompany does appear to be making a successful comeback, City may drop its interest in Bonucci altogether.
The future of Eliaquim Mangala, the £42-million flop signed from FC Porto two years ago, is up in the air as Guardiola runs the rule over his inherited squad. Jason Denayer, who spent the past two seasons on loan at Celtic and Galatasaray, respectively, is also being evaluated for his first-team credentials.
That doesn't rule out Guardiola producing his trick of deploying a player in an unfamiliar position. His early recognition of Fernandinho's versatility means the Brazilian could be tested in the middle of a back four, following the same path as Barcelona's Javier Mascherano and Bayern Munich's Javi Martinez under his watch.
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"I think Fernandinho can play in 10 positions," said Guardiola.
"He has the quality to play wherever. He could play at centre-back. He's a quick, fast player, so intelligent, aggressive and strong in the air.
"He has the quality to create good build-up. We think he can play there - maybe Fernando too but he's not as quick. I like midfielders to play at centre-back because they can play good passes."
Guardiola was speaking to the media ahead of City's International Champions Cup meeting with Borussia Dortmund on Thursday in Shenzhen, China.