Toffees find their replacement if defender joins Chelsea
Everton will try and sign Celtic centre-back Virgil van Dijk if John Stones does end up at Chelsea this summer.
The Blues are keen to bring the 21-year-old to Stamford Bridge and have already had one formal bid rejected for the defender.
Chelsea’s Stones Pursuit
A £20million bid was made last week but it was quickly turned away by Roberto Martinez, who has insisted that the centre-back is not for sale.
However, Jose Mourinho is desperate to land the defender and is ready to renew his interest by making a formal bid worth £24m.
With Everton still reluctant to sell, it’s thought a second bid would be turned down by the Merseyside club, but they have reportedly found a replacement just in case Stones does leave.
According to reports, the England international told officials at Goodison Park at the end of last season that he felt ready to move to a big club, sparking Chelsea‘s interest.
Stones Replacement
If Stones does choose to leave Everton, Martinez will try and land Celtic star van Dijk.
Reports this morning have suggested that The Toffees will pay around £10m for the Dutchman and are hopeful they can wrap up a deal.
When asked about his team ahead of next season, Martinez confirmed that he still needs to add a couple new faces.
Martinez Eyes Additions
Martinez said: “Our squad is not complete.
“We are still looking for two positions and we need to make sure they fit exactly in the group in the manner we want and expect as footballers and people.
“Central defence is one of those positions. Two experienced centre-halves left the squad, so we need to fill those gaps.
“I’m still assessing two of the young players we’ve got in the squad, but maybe we need another new face at centre-half.
“We will wait as long as we can to select the person we want.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
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