John Stones Next Club Odds: Bayern Lead Race After Manchester City Departure
John Stones is officially a free agent after his Manchester City contract expired last night, and John Stones next club odds are already taking shape as clubs assess a potential move for the experienced defender.
The 32-year-old leaves the Etihad as one of City’s most decorated players, departing with six Premier League titles, a Champions League winners’ medal and 19 major honours to his name.
Available on a free transfer, Stones brings elite experience but also arrives with a significant injury history that restricted him to around 18 appearances in his final season.
For now, his attention remains on England’s World Cup campaign.
Stones started the opening victory over Croatia and is expected to wait until after the tournament before making a decision on his next club move.
At Free Bets, we take a closer look at the latest betting and assess the four leading destinations for the former Manchester City defender.
John Stones Next Club Odds
With Stones now a free agent, attention is turning to where he could head next - and below we assess where UK betting sites expect the defender to end up.
| Club | Odds |
| Bayern Munich | 11/10 |
| Everton | 3/1 |
| AC Milan | 4/1 |
| Barnsley | 28/1 |
Odds correct as of Wednesday, 1 July, 3:30pm - courtesy of Sky Bet
Bayern Munich
Bayern sit at the head of the betting, and on paper, the appeal is obvious.
Reports of interest have centred on a reunion with former City captain Vincent Kompany, now in charge in Bavaria, and the chance to link up with England team-mate Harry Kane.
The complication is that the club itself has played it down.
Sporting director Max Eberl publicly cooled the speculation, indicating Bayern's squad is largely settled and that they are focused on only one or two additions, with German reporting suggesting they would need to sell a defender before adding one.
That leaves Stones as the market favourite whose move the noise from Germany has, if anything, moved away from.
It is a gap between the odds and the reporting worth keeping in mind before backing the front two.
Everton
If the betting says Bayern, the transfer chatter says Everton.
David Moyes, the manager who first signed Stones from Barnsley for £3m in January 2013, is the driving force, and multiple reports have named the Toffees as the side most genuinely pushing to bring him back on a free.
Stones is said to be open to a Merseyside return, with his roots in the north of England and the prospect of regular Premier League football both working in the club's favour.
The obstacle, as ever, is the wage. Stones earned a reported £250,000 a week at City, and any Everton deal - likely short and performance-based - would be a significant step down from that.
There is competition, too, with Inter Milan reported as a late challenger, but with Moyes actively pushing this remains the one to beat in the transfer stakes.
AC Milan
Milan have been among the European clubs credited with interest, drawn by the chance to add an experienced ball-playing centre-back on a free.
At his best, Stones is exactly that profile, and the pull of the San Siro and regular football would be genuine.
The latest word from Italy, though, is that the Rossoneri have cooled, with reports suggesting they now favour a younger central defender as their priority.
There is history here as well - Kyle Walker's 2025 loan move to Milan from City ended in frustration and injury, a cautionary tale when it comes to taking on a 30-something defender with fitness question marks.
If Stones can prove his sharpness at the World Cup, Milan could yet revisit it, but for now the interest looks to have faded.
Barnsley
You can't write a John Stones next-club piece without the hometown shot, and at 28/1 the bookies haven't forgotten it either.
Stones came through the Barnsley academy, signed his first professional contract at Oakwell and made his senior debut at 17 in March 2012 before Moyes took him to Everton.
A summer move to League One is logistically almost impossible given the wage gulf, and realistically, this is a story for the end of his career rather than the here and now.
But testimonials, ambassadorial roles and end-of-career homecomings are the stuff of Oakwell dreams - and if a couple more seasons at the top take him towards 34, a return becomes a far more serious conversation.
