Neither Arsenal, Chelsea, nor Juventus. Inter beat them all in the race to sign John Stones, officially unveiling the England international today. The two-year contract is further proof that snapping up top players on free transfers has become one of the Italian giants' specialties. During this decade alone, Inter have signed several players without paying a transfer fee who went on to make a major impact at the club, including Andre Onana, Hakan Çalhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Piotr Zielinski, and Marcus Thuram. Çalhanoglu and Mkhitaryan anchored the Nerazzurri midfield for years, Onana enjoyed a breakout 2022/23 campaign before earning the club 50 million euros with his move to Manchester United, while Thuram formed a devastating strike partnership with Lautaro Martínez. It will now be up to the 32-year-old Stones to further strengthen the Serie A champions' defense, forming a formidable back line alongside Alessandro Bastoni (if he remains at the club), Manuel Akanji, and Yann Aurel Bisseck.Inter loves Man City's defensive leftovers – John Stones is heading to ItalyStones has become only the fourth English player in Inter's 117-year history. The first was Gerry Hitchens, who arrived from Aston Villa and scored 20 goals in 43 appearances during the 1961/62 season. Decades later came Paul Ince, who scored 13 goals in 73 matches between 1995 and 1997. More recently, Ashley Young spent a year and a half at San Siro, making 59 appearances and helping Inter win the 2020/21 Serie A title. Stones endured an injury-hit campaign last season, making just 18 appearances and playing a little over 1,000 minutes for Manchester City due to a thigh injury. His contract was ultimately not renewed, bringing an end to his time at the Etihad after 295 appearances, 19 goals, and nine assists.##NAJAVA_MECA_9872580##
69