Could John Stones join Morgan Rogers at Chelsea? England defender mulling next destination

John Stones is out of contract at Manchester City and could remain in the Premier League as Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing the defender.

The Blues have begun reshaping their squad to fit the vision of new manager Xabi Alonso, who is preparing for his first season on the sidelines in the Premier League after stints with Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen.

Several players have left Chelsea already this summer, including Marc Cucurella (sold to Real Madrid for £47.5 million) and Andrey Santos (sold to Manchester United to £48m), while the club have completed the acquisitions of young players Marco Palestra (Atalanta, £43m), Emmanuel Emegha (Strasbourg, £22m) and Geovany Quenda (Sporting, £40m).

On Tuesday, Chelsea announced the signing of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in a British record deal reportedly valued at £117m. Rogers would step directly into Alonso's starting XI, but the new boss is still said to be looking for more players with Premier League experience, and Stones could be among them.

• Read next | How does Morgan Rogers fit at Chelsea?

An England international who played alongside Rogers at the recent 2026 World Cup, Stones brings the kind of pedigree that managers love. With Chelsea likely to continue spending throughout the summer, Stones' status as a free agent makes him even more enticing, especially as the Blues are reportedly considering moving on from defenders Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi.

However, the Blues could face competition for Stones' signature as Inter Milan are also interested in the 32-year-old's services.

Stones is a six-time Premier League winner from Manchester City, and he's also been part of the Sky Blues' sides that won the 2022-23 Champions League, the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, as well as three FA Cups and three Carabao Cups.

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