What John Stones said before about Leeds United transfer as Elland Road move back on the cards

John Stones is someone that Leeds United want to keep in the Premier League after his Manchester City exit.

The Whites are keen to add one more centre-back to their ranks after the arrival of Tarik Muharemovic.

Daniel Farke's side always wanted a new central defender heading into the summer, and that was before the exit of Pascal Struijk.

Stones has emerged as a free-agent target for Leeds, though there are obvious hurdles in the way of a possible move to Elland Road.

The England international has multiple offers on the table from clubs across Europe, and will carefully assess his options before making a decision.

However, Leeds' transfer hopes could be boosted by the fact that Stones knows this isn't the first time that he's been wanted in LS11.

What John Stones said about potential Leeds move in early playing days

MOT Leeds News understands that Stones is wanted at Elland Road after his contract with Man City expired earlier this summer.

The 32-year-old had a tough end to his time with Man City, suffering multiple injury issues and game time problems.

However, the Englishman enjoyed a positive individual World Cup campaign with England, where he showed his quality on the highest stage for Thomas Tuchel.

It's only added further interest to his name, with Juventus among clubs interested in signing him this summer.

However, the Whites will be hopeful that their history of trying to sign him in the past will somehow help in their transfer hopes.

Writing for England Football in 2022, Stones spoke about how Leeds wanted to sign him when he was younger.

He wrote: "I got scouted for Barnsley’s academy while I was still playing Sunday league, and I never played for any other club at that time.

"I could’ve gone to Leeds as apparently they wanted to sign me, but I just wanted to stay at Barnsley with my friends."

Almost a whole career later, Stones could yet walk through the doors at Throp Arch and be a huge arrival for Farke's backline.

But Leeds face obvious hurdles.

Where John Stones is with possible transfer

Stones is yet to be advanced in regard to a possible free transfer to any club this summer.

Leeds have yet to make a reported approach, but Juventus appear to be stepping up their efforts to sign the former Everton man.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are in talks with the defender's agents and are trying to learn his financial demands.

This is ahead of an official offer from the Italian giants, but Leeds will take confidence knowing they already beat the Serie A side for one centre-back this summer.

Juventus also wanted Muharemovic, and the Whites could try to steal Stones from them, too.