John Stones sends heartfelt message to Erling Haaland amid Man City exit rumours
John Stones has sent a heartfelt message to teammate Erling Haaland amid rumours that the England centre-back could leave Man City this summer.
Stones is a Man City hero for his exploits at the club since a £47.5m [Sky Sports] move from Everton back in 2016, and is currently their longest-serving player after Kevin De Bruyne’s recent departure.
The five-time Premier League winner has been lauded for his impressive performances over the years under Pep Guardiola, but has also been blighted by constant injury issues which saw him make just 11 league appearances last term.
Former scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider in May that Man City plan to accept offers for Stones this summer with former club Everton believed to be planning a swoop for Stones ahead of the new campaign.
David Moyes will make the final decision on whether the Toffees sign Stones, as told to Football Insider by former scout Brown, and he has sent a message to Haaland with an Etihad Stadium exit certainly looking possible right now.
Stones sends birthday message to Haaland
Citizens star Haaland turned 25-years-old on Monday, 21 July, and he commemorated the day himself with a selfie post on Instagram that was captioned: “Half way to 50! Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes. Before you come for my hair, take a moment in front of the mirror and ask yourself—am I truly qualified to judge hair that looks better than mine?”
The Norwegian’s post was reacted to with a heartfelt message from Stones, who replied saying: “Happy birthday big man” with a blue heart emoji.
Man City should sell Stones this summer if an offer comes in
Football Insider verdict
It is easy to see why an exit is possible for Stones ahead of the new season, as his wages have not reflected his status on the club’s fortunes over the last few years, and Guardiola is currently in the midst of a huge squad rebuild.
The 31-year-old has never made more than 27 league appearances in a single campaign for the club, and that is unlikely to change at this stage in his career after he featured just 20 times in all competitions last term.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Trophies (team) |
| 277 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 15 |
Letting him leave would signify the loss of a key man both on and off the pitch, with Stones being City’s oldest centre-back right now, but selling important players that have lost their way needs to happen for them to progress and return to challenging for trophies on all fronts in 2025/26.
Guardiola’s centre-back depth is pretty healthy too, even if he is sold, with Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis all to choose from, so sanctioning an exit for Stones is something they should so soon if a club like Everton wants to sign him.