Chelsea are set to make yet another approach to sign Everton’s prized asset John Stones in January, as Jose Mourinho looks to bolster his defensive options, according to reports.
The 21-year-old England international was the subject of speculation in the summer linking him with a move to the reigning Premier League champions last summer, however Everton held firm on their stance that Stones would not be sold and rejected all offers made by the London club.
It was reported that Stones had handed in a transfer request at Everton in order to attempt to force through a move to Jose Mourinho’s side, but his request was denied by the club and was later labelled as a ‘mistake’ by manager Roberto Martinez.
It is clear that Chelsea need a fresh boost in their squad, which is running low on confidence after a dreadful start to the Premier League season. They currently find themselves in 16th position in the league having conceded 23 goals in 12 games. To put that into context, Norwich have also conceded 23 times, and only two clubs, Bournemouth and Newcastle, have let in more goals than Mourinho’s men.
The signing of Stones could help to raise performance levels at the club and hopefully allow Chelsea to keep more clean sheets.
But he will, of course, come at a heavy price, and given that fact that Everton were in a comfortable enough position to reject a reported offer of £38 million that Chelsea proposed in the summer; he will not be any cheaper and any move would more than likely break the British transfer record for the signing of an English player.
