MILAN (AP) — England defender John Stones joined Serie A champion Inter Milan on Thursday, after a decade and numerous titles at Manchester City.
The 32-year-old Stones, who was a free agent after his City contract expired at the end of June, has signed a two-year deal with Inter worth a reported four million euros ($4.6 million) a season.
Stones helped City win six Premier League titles and the Champions League, among other trophies.
“I'm someone who is very hungry to win again,” he told Inter's website. "I've been very, very lucky and fortunate to have won so many things in the past. I want to bring that experience here and help the team, help the club and keep learning and growing as a player.
“I'm very excited,” Stones added. “Hopefully, I can bring all of my attributes, and I'm very, very open to learning new things and a new way of football and a new league.”
Stones' career has also been hindered by injury problems in recent seasons.
Despite that, he was still part of England’s World Cup squad and was reportedly a target for Chelsea and Arsenal before agreeing to a move to Inter, which beat Serie A rival Juventus to Stones’ signature.
Stones played in five of England’s eight matches at the World Cup, where the Three Lions finished third. He started England’s quarterfinal victory over Norway and the 2-1 loss to Argentina in the semifinals.
At Inter, Stones will again link up with fellow defender Manuel Akanji, who joined the Nerazzurri from City last year and has established himself as a key part of the team.
Akanji and Stones won seven trophies together in three years at City, including the Champions League title in 2023 by beating Inter in the final.
Stones became one of the world’s most expensive defenders when he joined City from Everton for 47.5 million pounds (around $65 million at current exchange rates) in 2016.
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England's John Stones listens during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against France, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Ten international climbers led by a renowned Nepal-born mountaineer were missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains in northern Pakistan.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan received initial reports that the avalanche struck the team led by Nirmal Purja and the climbers have been out of communication since then, club Vice President Karrar Haidri said in a statement late Thursday.
The expedition includes five Nepalese climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified as Wang, and another foreign climber, Haidri said.
The club's president, Maj. Gen. Irfan Arshad, and its senior leaders were in contact with government officials to facilitate an immediate search-and-rescue operation.
The club said every effort was being made to mobilize helicopters and other rescue resources quickly, subject to weather and operational conditions.
Nirmal Purja, whom the club identified by a second name, Nims Dai, is a Nepal-born British citizen who scaled the world's 14 highest peaks in 189 days in 2019, holding a record for the fastest climb until a Norwegian woman and her Nepali Sherpa guide set a new record in 2023. Purja’s climbs were made into a popular Netflix documentary, “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.”
Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak. The company said this was Geis’ first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi’s final one.
Sakhi is a guide for the company, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, and has climbed some of the world’s major peaks, according to Moving Mountains’ website.
Geis, 39, lives in San Antonio and is an avid traveler who loves being outdoors, according to her Instagram page. She announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take “a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”
The 8,047-meter (26,401-foot) Broad Peak in the Karakoram range is the world's 12th highest mountain. Pakistan is home to several top mountain peaks and climbers flock from all over the world to attempt to scale the summits.
“The Alpine Club of Pakistan is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with all concerned stakeholders,” the statement said. It added that the club stands in solidarity with the climbers’ families and the international mountaineering community.
FILE - Nirmal Purja, one of the team member of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
