Everton boss issues hands-off warning to Chelsea and Manchester United
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has once again issued a hands-off warning regarding John Stones to both Chelsea and Manchester United.
The two Premier League giants are still desperate to land the centre-back, with some reports claiming bids of around £40-50million could be launched in the New Year.
However, once again Martinez has told both clubs that Stones is not for sale and won’t be moving on in January, no matter what fee is offered.
Chelsea launched four formal bids for Stones throughout the summer, but saw all of them turned down by the Merseyside club, who were left angered with how Jose Mourinho dealt with the negotiations.
The Blues boss went public with the talks with frustrated Martinez and that eventually lead to the champions missing out on the 21-year-old.
As for United, they never made a formal bid, but the interest was there, and with injuries mounting up at Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal was thought to be preparing a bid of around £50m for Stones this window.
However, Martinez has once again ended all speculation by telling both clubs to forget about signing the England international.
Not Selling
“It’s very different,” he said. “When you are right in the middle of a season, players understand that you can’t sell someone if you can’t replace him.
“The uncertainty comes in the summer, where everyone speaks about possibilities. That’s where there’s a constant debate and talk.
“January is a window to solve problems with players who are not featuring as often as they feel they should, or to bring in players from a lower league to give them an opportunity.
“We created a squad to see how far we could go over 10 months. January doesn’t come into consideration.
“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.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
