Coventry City are currently planning a surprise move for John Stones, with the defender set to leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Coventry eye Stones’ stunning move after securing promotion to Premier League
After 25 long years, Coventry have finally been promoted to the Premier League and clinched the Championship title with a 3-1 win over play-off chasers Wrexham at the weekend.
Frank Lampard’s next challenge is to keep the Sky Blues in the top flight, which means signing players with Premier League experience in the summer could be important.
Stones is definitely the right fit in that regard, with the Man City star making 255 appearances in all competitions and winning six titles during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
However, the injury-plagued Englishman has not been able to force his way into manager Josep Guardiola’s plans this season and has failed to feature in any league games since the beginning of December, and is expected to leave on a free transfer in the summer.
This is where Coventry comes into play. According to a report from Sport Boom, Coventry are currently planning a shock move for Stones, who will not be offered a contract extension at the Etihad Stadium.
The centre-back was Lampard’s England team-mate at the Sky Blues before the former midfielder retired and is thought to still be highly rated by manager Thomas Tuchel, who rated him highly earlier this season.
John Stones likely to play for England at World Cup
Man City manager Josep Guardiola said the £250,000-a-week defender, who has made 87 appearances for the Three Lions, could play in the World Cup, saying: “There’s no question about it, he’s had a lot of injuries and now he’s back.
“I can’t evaluate his performance because he was out a little bit. I have no doubts about John. If he reaches his level, he will be a top central defender.”
Tuchel also hinted that the Barnsley-born defender could be on the plane, claiming he was a “huge part” of his plans and had “a lot of credit in the bank” at the end of March.
However, Stone’s injury history may still be a concern for Coventry, having missed a significant amount of football for both club and country over the past four seasons.
John Stones injury history | missed the game |
2022-23 | 12 |
2023-24 | 11 |
2024-25 | 34 |
2025-26 | twenty four |
Coventry are expected to make a move for the £30,000-a-week star, who has been compared to Gazza.
The Sky Blues could be looking to sign an ‘outrageous’ midfielder.
