“It’s laughable!” – John Stones hits back at Manchester City exit talk | OneFootball

Manchester City’s John Stones has hit back at consistent talk and speculation surrounding a potential exit from the Etihad Stadium over the course of the summer.

Stones is entering the final 12 months of his current contract at the Etihad Stadium, with speculation all summer linking the England international with a potential transfer amid Manchester City’s squad revamp under newly-appointed sporting director Hugo Viana.

Despite an impressive start to the 2024-25 campaign that saw the 31-year-old score crucial injury-time goals against Arsenal and Wolves in the Premier League, Stones struggled for fitness for an overwhelming majority of the season as Manchester City recorded their lowest points total in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola made Stones one of his first signings as Manchester City manager in 2016, signing the Barnsley-born star for £47.5 million – what was then the second highest transfer fee paid for a defender in the world at the time.

Nine seasons have passed since Stones moved to Manchester, where he has won six Premier League titles under Guardiola as well as a maiden UEFA Champions League title, starring for City in their historic 2022-23 treble winning season – arguably one of Stones’ best years at the Etihad Stadium.

However, having struggled with fitness for several years now, Stones has been linked with a possible summer switch as he enters the final year of his existing deal, with no indications of contract renewal talks at present between the defender’s representatives and the Manchester City board, who have reached an agreement over a long-term deal for Ruben Dias this week.

Speaking to reporters at Manchester City’s open training session from the City Football Academy, Stones responded to ongoing doubts and speculation concerning his Etihad Stadium future with a clear response to supporters.

“Yeah I mean, I get told this, I don’t see a thing, so it’s laughable to me but I understand why people do it, and there’s nothing to comment on it,” the 31-year-old said.

“I love it here (at Manchester City), nothing’s happening and I’m here to fight and play, and yeah, hopefully win some trophies!”

The ongoing summer transfer window has brought in a number of new faces into the squad, following on from significant investment in the January market, and Stones issued praise upon those that have integrated into the roster over the last few weeks.

“Things evolve, football evolves, and the guys that have come in have been great,” Stones said of the investment into the squad. “It takes a bit of time to obviously get used to the style of play, what’s expected and what’s asked of them, but the guys have come in for a reason.

“The quality they’ve got, the aspects of the game are different from what we’ve had in the past. I’m excited to play with them and see what they do.”