After helping England to third place at the 2026 World Cup, John Stones’ attention will now turn to finding a new club.
The 94-time international departed Manchester City at the end of last season after 10 years, 295 appearances and 17 trophies. His final campaign didn’t go to plan. Stones made just nine Premier League appearances, though he did end with a domestic cup double.
Stones was an eyebrow-raising inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad. However, he more than proved he can still cut it at this level. The centre-back played in five of England‘s eight matches and provided some much-needed calm and composure to a sometimes unreliable backline.
With that in mind, free agent Stones won’t be short of offers this summer. But where should he go next? Here are the dream, realistic and wildcard options.
John Stones next club odds
18+ only. GambleAware. Odds correct at the time of writing.
Dream: Arsenal
This is probably the most desirable move for Stones based on the options that seem to be open to him right now.
Arsenal finally ended their long title drought last season, and their Premier League triumph was undoubtedly fuelled by a rock-solid defence, conceding just 27 goals in 38 matches. Gabriel and William Saliba were the driving force behind that rearguard effort. But there are currently concerns over the latter’s fitness after he limped off just half an hour into France’s 2-0 World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain.
Saliba now looks like he’ll be out for an extended period after Didier Deschamps revealed his body finally gave out after dealing with a fracture in his back for months. That would open the door to Stones, who could bring his vast experience in defending titles and unquestioned composure to the Emirates Stadium.
What’s more, once Saliba returns, Mikel Arteta — who is keenly familiar with Stones from his time as Man City assistant — can give Stones the rest he needs, while the likes of Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are all capable at centre-back.
Stones is certainly a great stylistic fit to cover for Saliba, matching him in most metrics and coping well with the increased defensive demands Man City faced last season compared to Arsenal.
Realistic: Chelsea
Chelsea have emerged as favourites in recent days as they look to add experience to their team.
The Blues have almost exclusively played players under the age of 28 across the past few seasons, looking to build a young team. But it hasn’t worked for them, and Chelsea suffered another poor season last time out. Their defence has been a big part of the problem, and Chelsea are finally looking to remedy that.
Chelsea fans aren’t happy with their current centre-back setup, with Tosin Aradabioyo often coming under fire. Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile have also struggled at times, while Trevoh Chalobah is being linked with a move away. Signing Stones would be a shorter-term option, but it would be a key move for Chelsea.
Adding Stones to their defence — while trimming the fat elsewhere — would give them a chance to bring Josh Acheampong into the team more. The youngster would be able to have a better starting role than before, while Chelsea retain the knowledge that there is quality and experience to back him up. Not to mention to help him grow as a player.
Wildcard: Bayern Munich
John Stones played 22 games and over 1,000 minutes alongside current Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany at the heart of the Man City defence in 2017-18. They won a Premier League and Carabao Cup double and hitting the 100-point mark.
With that in mind, it starts to make a lot more sense why Bayern Munich are the current bookies’ favourites to sign Stones this summer.
There are serious doubts surrounding some of the Bundesliga champions’ current options. Kim Min-jae is on and off the transfer list and linked with the likes of Liverpool and Juventus. Meanwhile, metatarsal fractures have consistently hindered Japanese centre-back Hiroki Ito over the last few years, limiting him to just 31 appearances since the start of the 2024-25 campaign. As such, Ito is the more likely option to leave Bavaria this summer.
Kompany knows exactly what he’d be getting from Stones: experience, leadership, elite ball-playing and defensive reliability. What’s more, the England man’s need for rotation would ensure Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah remain content as the first-choice starting pair. A free transfer would also leave funds available to make statement signings elsewhere.
Squawka Suggests: Everton
Stones was David Moyes’ last signing for Everton before he departed for Manchester United way back in 2013. So the pair may feel like there is some unfinished business to attend to.
On a more tangible level, there is a clear need for centre-backs at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Jarrad Branthwaite is one of England’s most talented defenders right now and may already have established himself with the Three Lions had he not succumbed to multiple injuries. But the reality is that the 24-year-old cannot be relied upon physically, while he is also regularly linked with moves away from Everton.
Behind Branthwaite, Everton’s current options are the 33-year-old duo James Tarkowski and Michael Keane. Jake O’Brien is also a very accomplished centre-back, but has mostly played at right-back for Moyes, which is unlikely to change following the departure of Seamus Coleman.
There is no doubt that Everton will be looking to add youth and pace to the backline this summer. However, the sheer quality and experience Stones can offer may be hard to turn down on a free transfer, slotting in as an elite rotational option for the Toffees.
