John Stones Reportedly Set for New Manchester City Contract, Pay Increase

Manchester City are reportedly set to hand John Stones a new contract that will see him earn an extra £50,000 per week. 

According to The Sun's Daniel Cutts, City want to reward Stones' international and domestic form and could bump his weekly wage up to £170,000.

A source at the club told Cutts: 

"We all know about Stones' price at the time, but it feels like a snip in the current market.

"His performances at the World Cup reinforced the belief he will go on to become one of the best in the world as he continues to mature.

"He struggled to get in the team at times last year but that was mostly after his hamstring injury that was a problem.

"Stones is delighted how things have turned out for him since and we know he is ready to commit his future here."

Stones is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until 2022, having signed a six-year deal in 2016 when he joined from Everton for £47.5 million.

The 24-year-old helped City win the Premier League title by 19 points last season and then played a key role for England as they reached the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup:

In the FA Community Shield, City boss Pep Guardiola also experimented with using Stones as a holding midfielder.

As football analyst Dave O'Brien demonstrated, Stones has the technical ability to ply his trade further up the pitch:

His adventurous style of play occasionally gets him caught out at the back, but he can not only use his skills as a defender to help his side regain possession, he can also then make use of his strong distribution to launch attacks, as ESPN's Jonathan Smith noted:

It makes him an ideal fit under Guardiola, and he'll likely continue to thrive courtesy of the coach's tutelage.

Stones may already be tied down for the next four years, but cementing his future at the club further—and showing their recognition of what he brings—will be good business from City.