John Stones has completed his move to Inter Milan, closing the book on a decade at City that brought six Premier League titles and the club’s first Champions League.
The 32-year-old left City as a free agent at the end of June after his contract expired, and has now signed a two-year deal with the Serie A champions worth around €4m a season. He underwent his medical in Milan on Thursday before completing the formalities.
“I’m someone who is very hungry to win again,” Stones told Inter’s website. “I’ve been very, very lucky and fortunate to have won so many things in the past. I want to bring that experience here and help the team, help the club and keep learning and growing as a player.”
Few players embodied City’s golden era quite like Stones. Signed from Everton for £47.5m in 2016 — a record fee for an English defender at the time — he went on to make 295 appearances, evolving from a maligned ball-playing prospect into one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenants.
Six league titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and five League Cups followed, along with a regular seat in an England shirt that brought 93 caps and a place in this summer’s World Cup squad.
Persistent injury problems limited him to just 16 appearances in his final City season, and with Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol long since established as the club’s senior centre-back pairing, the writing had been on the wall for some time.
It doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to one of the era’s own.
[Source: Inter Milan, Fabrizio Romano]
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