John Stones snubs Liverpool and Arsenal as Fabrizio Romano confirms Inter Milan deal | OneFootball

Former Manchester City defender John Stones is reportedly set to sign with Inter Milan despite interest from a number of Premier League sides.

The centre-back was Pep Guardiola’s second signing at Man City in 2016 and ended up exiting the club at the same time following the end of the 2025-26 season.

Upon his departure, the 32-year-old said, “One thing you realise here is, I don’t think you can say anything’s impossible. Once we get something in our head and have something to work towards and achieve, it’s a powerful thing to have.

“Something that I think it’ll take a long time and a very special team to ever do again. It doesn’t really sink in, to be honest.

“I think that’s probably the mentality of a footballer, that there’s always something next, there’s always something more to aspire to achieve. More history and more dreams that have been made that I never could have imagined.”

After becoming a free agent, Stones was part of the England squad that finished third at this summer’s World Cup.

Behind the scenes, though, work was taking place to find him a new team, be it in the Premier League or abroad.

This week, TEAMtalk revealed that Liverpool were keeping tabs on Stones, while Chelsea and Arsenal were also in the race for the experienced defender.

Juventus were also credited with interest in the former Everton star, but it seems that Inter may have won this transfer battle.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Stones and Inter have reached an agreement on a two-year deal, with the option of an extra 12 months.

The transfer expert adds that Stones – who made 295 appearances for City – will undergo a medical in Milan soon and he will be on a salary of €4m (£3.4m) per season.

Stones brings with him a wealth of experience, having helped Man City win six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups, five Carabao Cups, and the Club World Cup, among other trophies.

If Stones does sign for Inter, that may end their interest in Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero. The Italian giants have been linked with the Argentina international, who is rated at around £42.5m.

Unless Inter plan on moving on a defender, Romero may not play alongside Stones next season.

The 93-time England international has gotten used to playing with the “genius” of Guardiola for so long. It will be interesting to see how he fares in a new league for the first time in his storied career.