Manchester City are ready to bid £50m for John Stones in an effort to accelerate the England defender’s transfer from Everton.

Stones, 22, is Pep Guardiola’s number one defensive target, but Everton have made it clear that they will not listen to offers of anything less than £50m.

While City are keen to pay market value for the former Barnsley centre-half, there is a realisation within the club that this summer’s inflated transfer spending throughout the Premier League will have a knock-on effect with high-level signings such as Stones.

The youngster endured an unproductive time at Euro 2016 with England last month, failing to register a single minute of action as Roy Hodgson’s team were eliminated by Iceland in the second round.

But despite the belief within the game that Stones’s progress stalled at Everton last season, he is still regarded by City as potentially being the leading English centre-half for the next decade.

Guardiola rates the ball-playing Stones highly (Getty)

Manchester United’s interest in the player has subsided following the signing of Eric Bailly from Villarreal, but Jose Mourinho is a confirmed admirer of Stones having failed in a long-running battle to sign him for Chelsea last summer.

Stones is understood to have settled on City as his favoured destination, however, and with Everton manager Ronald Koeman determined to avoid a drawn out transfer saga, the Merseyside club are likely to be receptive to a bid from City if it meets their valuation.