Chelsea target £20m deal for Manchester City star?

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has identified Manchester City defender John Stones as a potential target to strengthen the club's backline next season.

The England international has fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola and made just 16 league appearances during the course of the 2019/2020 campaign.

With the recent arrival of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth, Stones is likely to drop further down the selection order and reports claim that he could head for the exit door.

West Ham United have been heavily linked with his services in recent weeks, but according to The Mirror, they could face competition from the Blues with Lampard being an admirer of the centre-back.

Still, the Blues boss is not prepared to pay over the odds for the former Evertonian and will offer a maximum fee of around £20m for the ex-Barnsley graduate.

Stones was linked with a potential reunion with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal in January, but a deal did not materialise. Aside from Stones, Nicolas Otamendi has also been fancied to leave the Cityzens.