Notwithstanding any potential punishment being meted out by the Premier League regarding the outstanding charges levied against City, the English top-flight serial winners must continue to work on the basis that they will be exonerated.
Branthwaite's awful injury record
To that end, there are gaps that need filling in certain areas of the squad, and given that elite-level centre-backs are becoming depressingly hard to come by, it's little surprise to understand that the Cityzens are running the rule over Everton's brilliant Jarrad Branthwaite.
Stones was acquired from the Toffees, of course, and whilst David Moyes and supporters of the club are unlikely to be overly happy that City are sniffing around again, Branthwaite's injury record to date does offer another perspective on the situation, particularly if the Merseysiders are able to command top dollar for the 23-year-old's services.
Indeed, Branthwaite's England career has been curtailed precisely because of those injury concerns, which have seen him miss large portions of the last few seasons.
Four separate hamstring injuries in the last year are just the tip of the iceberg, with two ankle injuries, two thigh injuries and various unspecified concerns all contributing to an inability to find some rhythm to his game.
That said, when he is fit, Branthwaite is a colossus in the centre of Everton's defence.
Superb pass completion
He started 78 of the 83 games played over the past three campaigns, accumulating a total of 7,028 minutes on the pitch.
An 81.33% pass completion places him well inside the top 10 passers at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and, with respect, were he to sign for a club for whom keeping and passing the ball has become a style of play that they live by, this figure should be expected to rise significantly.
The figure does actually rise to 88.91% for passes played in his own half, suggesting that Branthwaite has acknowledged the need to keep things simple at times.
Only five players have won possession on more than his 356 occasions, which is quite remarkable when one considers how little football Branthwaite has played in comparison to those teammates.
Physically imposing
236 headed clearances are second only to James Tarkowski's 408, and the Everton captain has managed 36 more games than his defensive colleague over the past three seasons - not far off a full Premier League campaign in itself.
411 clearances more generally can again only be topped by Tarkowski (675), whilst 51.16% of his tackles won can be considered a reasonable enough return.
A fearsome competitor and a player with a real physical presence, his 66.55% duel success can't be beaten, and brings into sharp focus just how difficult it is to win a one-on-one against this man mountain.
The winning of three penalties for his team in the corresponding time frame is two more than any other Everton player has managed, whilst he's only given away one spot-kick, compared to Tarkowski's four.
£70m a starting point for negotiations?
Just 13 yellow cards received also speaks of a player with immaculate timing and discipline in the challenge, and one who doesn't get unnecessarily dragged into certain situations. Tarkowski's 26 are exactly double, remembering, of course, just how many more games he has played.
If City do want to test the waters in terms of a transfer, it's unlikely that Everton will even consider coming to the table unless a figure of £70m is put up as a starting point.
That could ensure the Toffees could strengthen in multiple areas, and whilst Moyes is unlikely to want to lose one of his best players, there is a cogent enough argument that Everton might benefit from any sale.
Ultimately, any decision is going to rest with Branthwaite himself, and he's been relatively steadfast about staying put in the past, when other clubs have been rumoured to be trying to unsettle him.
Were he to give any indication that he would now be willing to try his luck elsewhere, it's almost certain that City will have competition from cross-town rivals United, as well as some of Europe's best clubs.
For now, the defender needs to concentrate on getting back to peak fitness, and come the start of the 2026/27 season, we'll see if he will still be pulling on the Everton shirt or not.