Chelsea
Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Launch £45m Defender Bid
Chelsea have renewed their interest in John Stones after testing Everton’s resolve with a mammoth £45m bid for the talented centre-back
With the winter transfer window now open for business, manager’s are working hard trying to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season. Today, Chelsea make another move for John Stones….
Image: Liverpool Echo
Chelsea have renewed their interest in John Stones after testing Everton’s resolve with a mammoth £45m bid for the talented centre-back, according to a report in the Express.
Stones has developed into one of the best young central defenders in European football since breaking into the Everton first team and his potential has led to interest from some of the Premier League’s top clubs.
Chelsea were strongly linked with the 21-year-old last summer and Stones ended up submitting a transfer request to try and push through a move to Stamford Bridge after Everton rejected three formal offers from the West Londoners – the highest of which was £37m [source: Express].
The Toffees held firm and refused to sell but it appears Chelsea are now determined to get their man this winter as the Express is citing a report coming from Spain which suggests they’ve now tabled a fresh £45m bid.
It remains to be seen how much truth there is behind these reports or how Everton would react to such an offer but it’s likely to be rebuffed if Roberto Martinez’s latest quotes are anything to go by.
The Spaniard told reporters that Everton will refuse all offers for their star men in January as they are determined to keep their squad together this winter.
“It doesn’t matter if a club comes in. We created a squad during the summer to see how far we could go over the season,” Martinez is quoted as saying by the Express
“We’ll never lose anyone in January, unless it’s somebody who hasn’t been playing and we need to find a solution.
If he’s a top performer, it’s not even a consideration.”
Stones is now an integral part of the Everton starting eleven having started in 18 of their 20 Premier League games this season so if the club hold true to Martinez’s claims, then Chelsea will have to wait until the summer to get their hands on the defender.
