John Stones to Chelsea: Everton reject £20m bid for England defender
Stones has made four appearances for England and is held in high regard at Goodison Park
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea are believed to have had a £20m bid for Everton defender John Stones rejected, according to reports.
The Blues have been criticised for their lack of movement in the transfer window so far, given Manchester United and Liverpool’s swift action this summer. With Jose Mourinho already having a Premier League title-winning side on his hands, the expectation is that they will only make one or two signings before the closure of the transfer window.
Chelsea have already secured the services of former Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao on a season-long loan from Monaco, but they appear to be ready to make a move for Stones after Sky Sports News reported that a £20m offer was rejected by the Merseyside club.
21-year-old Stones has already made four appearances for England and has been marked out as a potential Premier League star of the future, having made his top flight debut in 2013 and becoming a first-team regular alongside captain Phil Jagielka last season.
Stones has formed a predominantly home-grown defence at Everton, with England team-mates Jagielka and Leighton Baines joined by Republic of Ireland international Seamus Coleman.
However, Chelsea must have seen something in Stones’ 82 Everton appearances to date given that they are not short on defensive options, with regulars John Terry and Gary Cahill supported by Kurt Zouma and Branislav Ivanovic should he need to switch inside from his regular right-back position.
The move for Stones can almost be seen as a changing of the guard, with Terry counting down the years until his inevitable retirement. The 34-year-old Chelsea captain signed a new one-year deal in the summer having played every minute of the victorious Premier League campaign last season 0 belying his age and proving a certain former Chelsea manager wrong after he was dropped from the Chelsea line-up in 2013/14.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments