Red Devils ready to sneak in ahead of Chelsea
Manchester United are ready to make their first formal move for Everton defender John Stones, according to reports.
It was reported earlier in the summer that United could enter the race alongside Chelsea to sign the 21-year-old, but as of yet, only The Blues have made formal bids.
Jose Mourinho‘s side offered £20million initially, and then £25m after their first bid was turned down.
However, they saw their second bid rejected as well with The Toffees holding out for around £30m.
Since then, Chelsea haven’t made a third bid and now United could sneak in and try lure the England international to Old Trafford.
Everton and Chelsea Breakdown
Negotiations between Everton and Chelsea are frosty now because of Roberto Martinez‘s comments about how the Premier League champions went about the transfer talks.
Martinez was less than impressed with how public Chelsea went during the negotiations, and now the Spaniard doesn’t want to sell to them.
Evans Player-Swap?
Due to the breakdown, Louis Van Gaal‘s side are now favourites to land the centre-back, and could throw Jonny Evans as part of the deal in order to sweeten it for Martinez.
Evans has been a target of Everton’s, with reports claiming a £10m bid may be launched.
However, United may pay some money for Stones and offer Evans as well.
Despite the interest from both United and Chelsea, Martinez is confident that Stones will be a Toffee after the transfer window shuts.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
