Reports from English media Mirror and ESPN claim that Chelsea are all set to break the British transfer record for a defender as they set sights on Everton and England defender John Stones. Having already seen a £20m bid rejected, the Blues are poised to make a £34m bid, which is around £2 million higher than what Manchester City had paid for Eliaquim Mangala.
Although it is said that Everton manager Roberto Martinez is prepared to hold on to his player as he has already voiced his anger at how the Blues made their pursuit of the player public.
At just 21, Stones has already won the English National cap and has established himself as a mainstay in the heart of the Everton defence, which has seen the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United also monitoring the situation.
However, Chelsea are determined to land their man, and are confident that they would be able to attract Stones if a fee can be agreed. Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s pre-season game against New York Red Bulls, Mourinho added: “It’s a good market.
“That is why smaller clubs, if they have interesting young English players, use that in the right way for them.
“I don’t criticise them. They play the market for themselves.
“If the big clubs don’t want to go over certain limits, they have to make a decision. And that is maybe why none of the top clubs are full of young English players. But that is the market.”
In a desperate attempt to hold onto Stones, Everton club chairman has come out and praised the youngster.
‘We’ve worked really hard to stabilise this club and we’ve got a great squad, a young squad… (Romelu) Lukaku and John Stones, who has to be the best centre back in England,’ Kenwright told the Newcastle Chronicle.