In an interview with Football Insider, Kevin Phillips has urged John Stones to consider a move to Newcastle United this summer after falling out-of-favour at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
The England international has struggled for playing time during the current campaign and he has been restricted to only 12 appearances in the Premier League, out of which 10 have come from the starting lineup.
Barring a one-month period between September and October, the centre-back has remained fit for most of the season but he has been left out of the matchday squad in a number of important games by Guardiola.
As a result, there has been doubts surrounding his future with the club and Phillips believes the defender should end his association with the Cityzens and join the Magpies, who are close to a £300m takeover from a Saudi-based consortium.
“I think John Stones should get out of Manchester City. It has not quite worked out for John. He came for big money as a young lad and there was a lot of pressure,” He told.
“I like him, he is a good player and a fresh start somewhere else would do him the world of good. If he could jump on that train at Newcastle – who knows where it could be heading”.
Earlier last week, The Telegraph claimed that Rafael Benitez could return as the club’s manager after the takeover and Stones has been mentioned as one of the Spaniard’s preferred transfer targets alongside Chelsea’s Ross Barkley.
Aside from the former Everton pair, the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Boubakary Soumare have also been linked with potential moves to the club this month. Soumare declined to join the Magpies in January but he is prepared to reconsider the move, suppose they make a renewed attempt to sign him.
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