Arsenal are set to miss out on one of their shortlisted defensive transfer additions, with John Stones edging towards a free transfer to Inter Milan.
Arsenal appear to be on the lookout for a defender in the wake of William Saliba’s injury setback, and one player who had been linked with a move to London was John Stones.
Stones is out of contract with Manchester City, so he’s available as a free agent this summer. But rather than moving to London, it seems the centre-back is set to leave the Premier League for Italy.
James Horncastle and David Ornstein report for The Athletic that Inter Milan are in negotiations to sign Stones, with talks ongoing and hope the transfer can be completed this week.
The report confirms that Arsenal have been among the clubs interested in Stones, as well as Chelsea. But it seems both are set to miss out.
James McNicholas previously wrote for the same outlet that Stones and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa were both on Arsenal’s shortlist, and the BBC added Como’s Jacobo Ramon to that list.
But with Stones on the way to Milan, Villa setting a high asking price for Konsa, and Ramon’s situation complicated by transfer clauses held by his former club Real Madrid, none of those stories seem to be going anywhere.
There were obviously some drawbacks to signing Stones in the first place. The defender is 32, and he’s struggled with injury issues in recent seasons, so he’d certainly be unlikely to come in and play a 50-game campaign.
Arsenal have had issues before with injury-prone backups who end up being sidelined exactly when they’re needed. All the same, if Stones is off the table, it’s not clear where the club pivot next.
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