City and England Star Set to Leave With Bernardo Silva Summer

End of an Era At The Etihad as Stones Unlikely to Be Offered New Deal

Manchester City are set to lose one of the last players standing from their run of four Premier League titles in a row, as it is rumoured that John Stones is set to leave the club in the summer as a free agent.

Alongside him, Bernardo Silva has also announced his intentions of leaving the club once the World Cup is over, meaning that the only remaining members of the four-in-a-row squad are Ruben Dias, Rodri and Phil Foden.

Aged 31, he still has plenty of time left in his career, but having won everything he possibly can at the club, as well as the side running the risk of relegation thanks to a rumoured upcoming 60-point deduction, it is likely Stones is looking for a new challenge before his value starts to deteriorate.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿BREAKING: Manchester City are not planning to offer John Stones a new contract, with the experienced England centre-back's deal expiring at the end of the season.

Everton are among the clubs keeping tabs on the 31-year-old.

[via @alex_crook] pic.twitter.com/I7ryG5TDIo

— City Exclusives (@city_exclusives) April 1, 2026

10 Years In Blue

Brought from Everton for £47.5 million back in the summer of 2016, a fee that made him the most expensive defender in Premier League history, Stones immediately became a big part of Pep Guardiola’s squad overhaul on the blue side of Manchester.

Though it took him a couple of seasons to become a regular starter, the former Toffee eventually made his mark in the 2018/19 season, making 39 appearances as the Cityzens pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title by one point.

It was during this campaign that Stones made his now iconic goal-line clearance against Liverpool after clearing the ball into his own goalkeeper Ederson. Sliding back towards his own goal line, he got to the ball mere millimetres before it crossed the line, a clearance which earned Man City all three points and, thus, the title.

In all, Stones has made 178 Premier League appearances for the club and 292 across all competitions, and of course he has room to add even more before his contract expires at the end of the season.

However, his potential departure, alongside Bernardo Silva’s, will see a vast amount of experience vanish from the Manchester City dressing, something which will undoubtedly be to the detriment of the team next season unless Guardiola, if he is still there, brings in other experienced players to fill the void.

It means that the only players over the age of 29 in the squad would be the former Chelsea trio of third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, midfielder Mateo Kovačić, and defender Nathan Aké, with everyone else largely falling in their mid-20s.

It would be a blow to lose a player of Stones’ calibre and experience, as it is not just at the domestic level that the centre-back has encountered success – during Gareth Southgate’s tenure in charge of England, Stones was a vital piece of the sides that made the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the final of both Euro 2021 and 2024.

A ball-playing centre back with excellent aerial reach and a decent turn of pace, Stones was a formidable adversary in his prime, and while he may be on the wrong side of his 30s, he still possesses plenty of these traits.

When one door closes, another one opens, and sometimes, an old one reopens, because Everton are very interested in bringing back their former star defender to the club where it all started.

Win this game and Liverpool goes invincible, centurions, champions and the best English side ever. Will never forgive John stones. https://t.co/HIpVuor9GO pic.twitter.com/B6uYQJXjF3

— Ipostanything LFC (@ipostanythingLF) February 27, 2026

With a lack of transfer fee to pay and only wages to cover, it certainly presents an attractive deal – the only issue for Everton is that they are surely not the only side taking interest. To have a player of Stones' calibre available as a free agent is a rare occurrence, and every side in England will be seeking a way to take advantage.

Of course, there is still a chance that Stones does receive a late offer to renew his contract at Manchester City – after all, he brings winning pedigree, while he also contributes towards the homegrown player quota for sides in Europe.

However, as of now, a new deal looks unlikely, and now that he is inside the final six months of his deal, Stones is free to negotiate with any team he wishes over his future.