Chelsea have expressed interest in signing England defender John Stones on a free transfer after his contract with Manchester City expired at the end of June. The 32-year-old, who is also being considered by Inter Milan, could join a west London side that is simultaneously working to sell surplus central defenders to create squad room for new arrivals.

Chelsea are also in talks to sign Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix and are assessing Como's Jacobo Ramon as other defensive options. On the outgoing side, Trevoh Chalobah is in talks to join Como, while Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile remain available for sale. Stones made 295 appearances for City after his £47.5m move from Everton in 2016, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League and multiple domestic cups, and has 93 England caps, including a third-place finish at the World Cup.