Manchester City have been credited with an interest in Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and the teenage centre-back could prove to be the next John Stones at the Etihad.

According to journalist Simon Phillips, the young defender is attracting admiring glances from both Manchester City and Bayern Munich as a result of his impressive performances on loan at Brighton.

Last season saw Colwill join Huddersfield Town on loan in the Championship and he proved to be a big hit with the Terriers, featuring 31 times in the Championship and earning an impressive 6.97 average rating from WhoScored, helping the Yorkshire side to reach the playoff final.

Last summer saw the 19-year-old join Brighton and after a slow start, he has established himself as a regular under Roberto de Zerbi, earning a strong 7.28 rating in the Seagulls' recent 3-0 win over Liverpool.

The England U21 international earned a huge amount of praise from Carlos Corberan for his performances in Huddersfield's side last season, with the Spaniard convinced that Colwill will go to the very top.

He said:

“He’s a very young player with a lot of things he is doing fantastically, and other things he needs to continue improving.

“I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future." This is extremely high praise for such a young player but considering he is now starting at centre-back in one of the Premier League's most in-form sides, it is hard to see how Colwill won't be featuring for the Three Lions in the near future, with reports suggesting that he is already close to his first call-up to Gareth Southgate's side. Colwill is very much a modern centre-back in the mould of Stones, as FBref suggests that he excels at passing, aerial duels and creating chances for teammates, such is his ability on the ball. Stones also established himself in the lower leagues with Barnsley before progressing to Everton and then Manchester City, so Colwill could easily follow in his footsteps should he make the move to the Etihad this year. It will be difficult to prise the teenager away from Stamford Bridge but given the lack of opportunities for young players at Chelsea, as well as the money that has been spent on centre-backs such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile over the past 12 months, Colwill may feel that a move away could be best for his career. If City do take a chance on another young English centre-back, there seems little evidence right now to suggest that he can't become a top Premier League defender like Stones in the future.