With the 23/24 now complete for Manchester City, the focus has shifted to the upcoming transfer window. The futures of several of Manchester City’s key players have been the subject of speculation since the season ended. A busy summer looms for the Premier League champions on the back of their recent era of success.
One player linked with a potential move is defender John Stones. A new report from Fichajes has linked the England international with a possible move to Bayern Munich. Furthermore, Fichajes reports that Stones is one of three key transfer targets for new Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany.
A year ago, there wouldn’t have been any chance of Manchester City selling Stones. But the England international endured a frustrating 23/24 season at Manchester City as he struggled with various injuries over the course of the season. With that in mind, could the champions sell the defender this summer?
The idea of Manchester City selling John Stones isn’t as far-fetched as it appeared a year ago.
At the end of the 22/23 season, there would’ve have been no chance of Manchester City selling John Stones. During City’s treble winning campaign, he became one of the world champions’ most important players. His ability to drift into midfield when City had possession from central defence was a key component of City’s treble winning campaign. Heading into the 23/24 season, it appeared that Stones was set to take his game to another level on the back of strong form at the back end of City’s treble winning campaign.
But the 23/24 season was a different story for the defender. Stones spent the majority of the season battling injuries. He was unable to string together a consistent run of games this season. Across this season, Stones only made 28 appearances in all competitions. With Stones out injured, players such as Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Josko Gvardiol rose to prominence this season. Given the unreliability of Stones’ body this season, he doesn’t appear to be as integral to Pep Guardiola’s squad as he was a year ago.
The possibility of Manchester City selling Stones this summer doesn’t appear to be as remote as it was a year ago. If the defender wanted to call time on his City career and Bayern offered a suitable fee for his services, the champions could part ways with the defender. A year ago, that definitely wouldn’t have been the case.
The future of John Stones appears to be one of several stories to watch for this summer. It wouldn’t come as a complete surprise if the defender did depart Manchester City this summer. It will be interesting to see what the champions do if Bayern Munich does come in for Stones when the transfer window opens.
