Coventry City Stun Transfer Market With Shock Move For John Stones

Newly promoted Coventry City have emerged as a potential surprise destination for Manchester City defender John Stones, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal. 

The England centre half is out of contract at the Etihad Stadium this summer and won’t be offered a new deal.

Stones’ former club, Everton, are favourites to recruit the 31-year-old Yorkshireman who left Goodison Park a decade ago.

But the one-time Barnsley favourite is wanted by the Championship title winners, who will be back in the top flight next season for the first time since 2001, according to sources. 

Planning for their big return has been underway for several months now and despite handing out contracts to Milan van Ewijk, Jay Dasilva and Liam Kitching in February, Cov still want an experienced campaigner to help consolidate their new status.

Like his trio of team mates Bobby Thomas, whose goal clinched promotion at Blackburn and is now linked with West Ham, hasn’t previously played in the Premier League.

And despite his well-documented injury issues Stones was identified as the right fit for the East Midlands outfit.

He has won six Premier League titles, with a seventh a distinct possibility as the perfect leaving present, three League Cup, two FA Cups and the 2023 Champions League.

City Spell Over

Stones and Cov boss Frank Lampard were briefly England squad mates before Lamps retired from international football.

Stones remains a member of Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad but a calf injury forced him to miss the recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

Indeed, his last Premier League appearance for City was as a second half substitute in the 5-4 thriller at Fulham last December. His last start came in the 3-1 FA Cup win at Newcastle on March 7.

Sources in Italy suggest Stones is a legitimate target for Juventus together with City team mate, Bernardo Silva.