With the current stance of Everton many people feel that Chelsea would have more chance of getting blood out of a stone than signing John Stones this summer.
The player may be tempted by a move but is also happy with his current employer and it would surely take a mammoth bid for Roberto Martinez to countenance a move.
The Toffees are on firm financial ground at last and don’t have to sell – so they hold all the cards right now.
Nevertheless, widespread reports today suggest that Chelsea will make another bid for the brilliant youngster in the next couple of days.
The Guardian reports:
Chelsea will make a £26m bid for John Stones within the next 48 hours. José Mourinho remains desperate to sign the Everton defender and has not been put off by Roberto Martínez’s anger over the battle for his signature.
When you look at this lad playing football it’s difficult to imagine that he is just 21 years of age.
He is the sort of calm head in the defence that every top team needs and the assumption is that he is only going to get physically more imposing and technically more savvy.
We have the feeling that Chelsea may, for once, fail to sign the lad this summer.
Stones has affiliations with merseyside and we feel that he would be well served to continue his development at his current club rather than run the gauntlet at Chelsea where he may struggle for starts and where his career could, in the short term, go backwards.
Because, would Jose Mourinho play Stones in a big game or would he go with the trusted partnership of Terry and Cahill?
There is, of course, also the option to play him at full back.
But a move may be a risky strategy for a player with his whole career ahead of him.
Let’s see the lad in action.
Chelsea fans: would Stones get straight into the first team?
