John Stones announces new club after leaving Manchester City as free agent | OneFootball

Inter Milan have announced the signing of former Manchester City defender John Stones on a free transfer ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The 32-year-old departs Manchester City as one of the most decorated defenders in the club’s history, having spent a decade at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola and contributed to one of the most sustained periods of success in English football – winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five Carabao Cups, three Community Shields, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup across 295 official appearances.

Stones joined City from Everton in August 2016 for an initial £47.5 million, arriving as a technically accomplished young defender whose ability to play out from the back fitted precisely the profile Guardiola was building at the Etihad Stadium – and he grew into one of the finest ball-playing centre-backs of his generation under the Catalan’s guidance, producing some of the most assured performances the position has seen in the modern Premier League era.

His final season at the club delivered one last moment of collective joy – an FA Cup winners’ medal – before he departed as a free agent on 1 July 2026 with 94 England caps to his name, including appearances at two European Championship finals and bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

The move to Inter had been anticipated since interest from several prominent European clubs was established in the weeks following the end of the season, with Juventus, Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid among those credited with interest before Stones ultimately opted for the Serie A champions.

Official: Stones confirmed at Inter as City legend begins Italian chapter

Inter Milan’s official announcement confirmed that Stones has signed a contract with the club until 30 June 2028, with the Italian champions framing his arrival as the beginning of a new chapter for a player who, in their own words, “ha fatto la storia a Manchester” – made history in Manchester.

The deal carries no option to extend beyond the two-year term, with the structure reflecting both the stage of Stones’s career and Inter’s preference for a defined commitment alongside the wealth of experience the Barnsley-born defender brings to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Inter’s announcement traces Stones’s story from its earliest beginnings – from the Sunday League fields of south Yorkshire, through the Barnsley academy and a formative spell at Everton, to the defining decade at the Etihad Stadium that transformed him from a promising young centre-back into a generational talent whose influence shaped the most successful era in Manchester City’s history.

The salary of around €4 million net per season represents a pragmatic arrangement for a player who has prioritised the right footballing environment over financial considerations, with a Champions League-winning club in the middle of their own sustained period of excellence providing exactly the stage Stones sought upon leaving the club he served so loyally for ten years.

What does Stones’ departure mean for Manchester City?

Stones’s exit leaves a gap that cannot simply be filled by one player – not because his output in recent seasons had been at the level of his peak, but because the understanding, authority and experience he brought to the defensive unit was accumulated over a decade and cannot be replicated immediately by any of his successors.

Director of football Hugo Viana had anticipated the departure and moved to address the defensive structure accordingly, with Marc Guehi having joined earlier in the January window and Vitor Reis returning from his Girona loan with evident confidence and ambition to compete for a starting role under Enzo Maresca at the Etihad Stadium.

Stones’s own story, however, is not one that ends at his departure. He leaves Manchester City as the definition of what a footballer can become when given the right environment, the right manager and the right teammates – a £47.5 million signing who became priceless to everything Guardiola built, and whose 295 appearances for the club will stand as a measure of the longevity and consistency he brought to one of the most demanding positions in the game.

From the plains of Barnsley to the turf of San Siro, via a decade that changed the course of Manchester City’s history – the career of John Stones is a story that deserved, and has now received, a stage worthy of its final act.