Manchester City defender John Stones is reportedly desperate to stay at the Etihad and fight for his place in Pep Guardiola's starting lineup.

The former Everton man struggled for regular game time during the 2019-20 campaign and was restricted to just 12 starts in the Premier League for the Citizens.

Furthermore, City have recently acquired fellow centre-back Nathan Ake from Bournemouth, while Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez are also being linked with moves to the Etihad.

Nevertheless, The Telegraph claims that Stones is unfazed by any potential new arrivals, and the 26-year-old is keen to prove to Guardiola that he is worthy of a spot in the first XI.

Arsenal and Chelsea have previously been credited with an interest in Stones, but the two London rivals have brought in other defensive reinforcements ahead of the Premier League's return this weekend.

Stones has turned out 133 times for City since arriving in a £47.5m deal from Everton in 2016, scoring five goals in that time.