John Stones’s next club: Five teams who could sign Man City legend after summer exit confirmed

John Stones has announced that helium volition beryllium leaving Manchester City erstwhile his declaration expires astatine the extremity of the season, bringing an extremity to a glorious 10-year vocation astatine the Etihad Stadium.

The 31-year-old defender became Pep Guardiola’s 2nd signing arsenic Citizens manager successful 2016, and helium has since earned admirers for transforming into a pioneering ball-playing centre-back, redefining the antiaircraft relation during a hugely palmy epoch successful the club’s history.

Known for his composure, sublime passing range, last-ditch defending and quality to determination into midfield, Stones was a cardinal cog successful the Man City instrumentality that won their archetypal Champions League trophy during their historical treble-winning play successful 2022-23.

Stones has won a full of 19 trophies astatine Man City since joining the nine from Everton for a reported £47.5m, including six Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups and 5 EFL Cup, astir precocious lifting the second aft the Citizens bushed Arsenal 2-0 successful past month’s last astatine Wembley.

The 87-cap England planetary has had plentifulness of highs astatine the Etihad, but helium has besides experienced respective lows, mostly owed to a plethora oregon frustrating wounded and fittingness problems.

Stones is yet to scope 300 nine appearances for Man City (currently 293) and has failed to commencement much than 23 Premier League matches successful a azygous play since his debut run successful 2016-17.

The defender has missed adjacent to 60 matches for Man City crossed each competitions since the commencement of the 2024-25 play owed to wounded oregon fitness-related issues, and has been constricted to lone 12 starts and 4 substitute outings nether Guardiola this term.

Stones is inactive regarded arsenic 1 of Man City’s champion defenders erstwhile fit, but helium presently finds himself down the likes of Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov and January signing Marc Guehi successful the centre-back pecking order, portion Josko Gvardiol volition instrumentality to afloat fittingness up of the caller campaign.

With that successful mind, the determination has been made for Stones to permission Man City astatine the extremity of the play and go a escaped cause this summer.

While Man City confirmed the determination connected their authoritative website, Stones has posted an affectional video connected Instagram announcing his departure.

Stones: “Every imagination has been smashed retired of the park”

“What does Manchester City mean to me? It's been my location for the past 10 years, and it'll beryllium my location for the remainder of my life,” Stones said.

"It's been a rollercoaster successful galore ways. I came arsenic a kid and present leaving arsenic a man, becoming a father, a husband, and connected the transportation a precise fulfilled subordinate I accidental and surviving each my dreams out, and lifting each the things that I came present to achieve.

"At the commencement of my vocation here, I ne'er would've thought I'd beryllium successful this position. Firstly, achieving everything, but to person the love, the enslaved with everyone. Every imagination has been smashed retired of the park.

"From time one, arsenic soon arsenic I came, I felt astatine location and felt loved. I deliberation I tin lone subordinate it to maine arsenic a small kid; if you said to maine that I'd beryllium playing astatine Man City, winning everything, the fans are singing your name, your opus passim the stadium, wherever you spell successful the world, I don't deliberation I would've believed them.

"The Man City fans, yea they mean everything to me. I anticipation that I've made them proud. I anticipation that they tin subordinate to maine arsenic a person, and arsenic a player, with however I've played, however I've represented the club, and volition bash for the remainder of my life.

"Man City volition ever beryllium my home, and I'm thankful, honestly, from the bottommost of my heart. This is my squad forever, it ever volition be, and I can't speak... I haven't got the words to benignant of accidental what I consciousness and however overmuch I emotion everything astir it.”

Five clubs who could motion John Stones this summer

At this stage, it remains to beryllium seen whether Stones – who turns 32 adjacent period – is keen to proceed his vocation successful England oregon acquisition a caller situation abroad.

Stones has regularly been linked with a return to Everton, wherever helium played 95 times for Everton implicit a three-year play aft signing from boyhood nine Barnsley for astir £3m.

David Moyes was successful complaint of the Toffees during his archetypal spell astatine the nine erstwhile Stones was connected Merseyside, and the defender’s transportation with the Scotsman, arsenic good arsenic the anticipation of European qualification, could tempt him to marque the determination to the Hill Dickinson Stadium this summer.

West Ham United are different English nine that person been credited with an involvement successful Stones, but their hopes of landing a subordinate of his calibre, earning good successful excess of £100,000 per week, volition beryllium connected whether they tin debar relegation from the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Italian giants Juventus and AC Milan are believed to person been monitoring Stones’s concern and could measurement up their pursuit of the defender knowing that helium volition beryllium disposable for escaped successful a fewer months’ time.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, managed by Stones’s erstwhile Man City teammate Vincent Kompany, person besides been linked with the Englishman, who is presently focused connected gathering up his fittingness successful the anticipation of representing his state astatine the 2026 World Cup.