This year, Manchester City were relatively quiet in terms of big-name signings. Although the club did bring in some new faces, there hasn’t been any standout signing. Meanwhile, veteran players like Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker have decided to pursue their future elsewhere.
While the Belgian star left for free following the end of his contract, the English fullback joined Burnley for an undisclosed fee. Keeping this in mind, Manchester City will need to figure out the agreements of those players whose contracts are set to expire soon, to avoid them departing for free. Stones is one such player who falls under this category.
The English international’s contract has less than a year left, running until next summer. So both the player and the club will have to find the way forward soon. And it looks like Stones has already made up his mind on his next future step.
Manchester City legend ready to sign contract extension
According to the Mirror, Stones will begin negotiations with City bosses and is hopeful of agreeing a deal that will keep him at the club until 2028. The veteran defender is keen to remain with the club for the remaining years of his career. Moreover City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak is desperate to avoid losing Stones on a free transfer next summer.
Stones has been a pivotal part of Pep Guardiola’s defensive setup at Manchester City. He has won a lot of silverware with the club, including the Champions League in 2023.
This season as well, the English defender has appeared in five matches and is expected to remain among the starters, at least for the rest of the campaign.
Manchester City do have a number of other options for the centre-back position, including Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Nathan Ake. That said, Stones remains an important member of the squad, and the club must finalise his new deal as soon as possible.