Inter Milan win race to sign John Stones ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea

Inter Milan have completed the signing of John Stones on a two-year contract.

The Italian giants announced the deal to sign the England and former Manchester City centre-back on Thursday.

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Stones was without a club, having left Man City following the expiry of his contract in June.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Juventus were also interested in the defender, however, the Premier League clubs have lost the race.

Liverpool were urged to make an approach for him too but didn’t pursue him.

Instead, the Englishman joins Inter as they look to build on their recent glory.

Inter clinched the Serie A title for the second time in three years last term, once again qualifying for the Champions League.

They have been looking to strengthen their back line, having already held talks with Tottenham captain Cristian Romero.

Inter may have expected to face stiffer competition from Arsenal, who could need a new centre-back to fill in for the injured William Saliba, but the Gunners look like they won’t sign Stones.

Recent revival

Stones had plenty of options to pick from this summer, having put himself in the shop window at the World Cup.

He made five appearances for England on their run to the semi-finals, as the Three Lions ultimately went on to finish third.

The defender left Man City in June, following ten years with the club having signed from Everton in 2016.

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During that time, he won 19 trophies including six Premier League titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.

However, he played a bit-part role in his final season at the Etihad Stadium, featuring just nine times in the Premier League.

Only five of these were starts, as the Citizens finished second to Arsenal in the title race.

Stones’ league outings contributed to a total of 18 appearances across all competitions, with injuries reducing his involvement.

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