Stones would 'definitely play' at Arsenal amid rumours of Gunners interest in Man City defender

Ray Parlour says he would be "very happy" to see Manchester City defender John Stones sign for Arsenal this month to provide extra cover for Sokratis and David Luiz.

Stones has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium in recent months, while struggling with a number of niggling injuries which have limited his contribution .

The 25-year-old has only appeared in 10 Premier League matches for City this season, and was left out of five consecutive matchday squads prior to a 6-1 win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

It has been suggested that the centre-back is open to a move away from Manchester in search of more regular playing time, with England's Euro 2020 campaign now only a few months away.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly keen on reuniting with Stones at Emirates Stadium, having worked with him for three years as Pep Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad.

Parlour would welcome the struggling City star's arrival in north London, and thinks he would be able to slot in nicely alongside Sokratis in the heart of the Gunners' defence, with Luiz perhaps pushed further forward in a holding role.

“I’d be very, very happy if they brought someone like John Stones to the club,” the ex-Arsenal midfielder told  TalkSport .

“He would definitely play. With Calum Chambers out and Rob Holding in the background, if one of Luiz or Sokratis get injured Arsenal haven’t got a lot of back-up at centre-half.

“Would Luiz and Stones work together? Well, they’ve got Sokratis… Stones could play alongside him. He’s the better defender.

“Luiz has done alright in recent weeks. He’s done better. He does make a mistake, and we’ve seen that this season, but I think he’s done well.

"I think, if you’re really struggling in midfield, you could play Luiz as a holding midfielder.

“He can play there because he’s got that range of passing and he’s very good on the ball, he is technically very good.

“So they could play Stones and Sokratis at the back with Luiz in front of them, that could work.”

Stones will be back in contention for a place in City's line-up when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad on Saturday.

Arsenal will also be in action that day when they play host to Sheffield United, who are currently four points above them in the Premier League standings.