UEFA confirm John Stones listed in Champions League squad by Man City

UEFA has confirmed that Manchester City named Everton defender John Stones in their Champions League squad for the playoff round.

Stones, 22, is still officially an Everton player but Pep Guardiola has made no secret of his desire to take the England international to the Etihad.

On Tuesday, Stones’ name appeared in the City squad on UEFA’s website for their two-legged playoff against Steaua Bucharest in Romania on Wednesday, Aug 17, with the return back in Manchester on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

City had until midnight on Monday to submit their squad to UEFA for qualifying round. They are able to submit a new squad list for the group stage if they get past Steaua.

UEFA confirmed to ESPN FC that City had registered the player and there had been no mistake on its part.

“UEFA received all UEFA Champions League playoff squad lists ahead of the midnight CET deadline on Aug.8,” it said. “As is standard procedure, the lists were automatically published on UEFA.com once they were approved and entered into the UEFA competition database.”