Manchester City centre-back John Stone has dampened speculation linking him with a move away from the Etihad Stadium.
The Citizens’ decision to pay £41m for defender Nathan Ake has prompted further talk about Stones’ future, with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham all having been linked with a bid for the player in recent weeks.
However, despite transfer rumours, Stones took to Instagram to celebrate his four years at the Manchester club and insisted that he is happy to stay for the long term:
The decision may well be taking out of his hands if, as expected, City do sign a second centre-back this summer. Stones is already down the pecking order with youngster Eric Garcia having been picked ahead of him for games since the restart.
However, the Spaniard’s likely departure for Barcelona may offer the England international another chance to convince manager Pep Guardiola that he is worth keeping hold of.