Tottenham have decided against trying to sign Manchester City centre-back John Stones on loan according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein.
Spurs were keen on snapping up the England international but it is thought that talks broke down when it came to discussing the 26-year-old’s wages:
? Tottenham explored John Stones loan but unlikely to happen. Discussions yesterday & Man City plan to shift a RCB but hope Garcia to #FCBarcelona. Salary was also steep for #THFC – pursuing other options inc Rudiger@TheAthleticUK #DeadlineDay #MCFC #CFC https://t.co/PD0SZjoEcw
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) October 5, 2020
It is believed that Jose Mourinho’s side have ended their interest in Stones and have now set their eyes on signing Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger instead before the transfer window closes later this evening.
City are believed to be still keen on offloading a centre-back prior to tonight’s deadline as they currently have five players who can play in that position. In addition to Stones, the Manchester club also have the likes of Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia and Nathan Ake.
At the moment, the likeliest to leave is Garcia with Barcelona still locked in talks to sign the Spaniard. City are reportedly holding out for around €25m (£23m) for the defender despite the fact that his contract expires next summer.