John Stones decides next club after England star holds talks with Chelsea

John Stones is eyeing his next club after leaving Manchester City at the end of the season and, despite talks with Chelsea, has decided on his next move

John Stones has decided to move abroad following his Manchester City exit despite holding talks with Chelsea over a possible switch.

The England centre-half has just called time on his decade at the Etihad, which saw him win the Premier League on six occasions as well as the Champions League. The 32-year-old remains a strong performer and wasn’t shy of suitors this summer.

Chelsea were keen to add his quality and experience to their ranks with Xabi Alonso now in charge and multiple rounds of talks were held with the Blues. Ultimately Stones rejected the prospect of a move to Stamford Bridge to pursue his ambitions of playing elsewhere in Europe.

Stones has played for Barnsley, Everton and City but is now closing in on a move to Inter Milan, according to reports. An agreement in principle has been secured with the Englishman, who has agreed on a deal until 2028.

Inter will go into the campaign as defending champions having won Serie A, their second Italian title in the last three years. They currently boast no English players in their ranks but a move to the San Siro would allow Stones to reignite his relationship with Manuel Akanji, whom he played with at City.

Another Three Lions defender in Fikayo Tomori is playing at city rivals AC Milan, where he’s been since 2021, although he is being linked with a move away.

Stones will bring the ball-playing ability that first attracted Pep Guardiola, who encouraged him to adopt more of a midfield role during his time in Manchester.

The veteran defender spoke in glowing terms about his time in Manchester, where he helped the club enjoyed their most successful period ever. He said: “It’s been a roller coaster. You can look at it like that and everything has ups and downs and good things, bad things. But to live out all my dreams and all my goals and all the things that I set out to achieve as a player and live as a player.

“Doing that has just been a dream and to be able to give that to everyone and do it in the style and fashion that we have and make everyone’s dream come true with obviously that Treble season, something that the club’s never achieved or won. It’s been so special.”

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