Chelsea are lining up a second offer to sign Everton defender John Stones in the region of £26million, with the player wanting a move to Stamford Bridge.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez was angered by the fact that Chelsea made the initial bid for the England international public.
The London club already seen a £20million bid for the former Barnsley star rejected by Everton, and sources close to Goodison Park reveal that the Toffees want at least £34million for the versatile defender.
However, Chelsea now face tough competition for the 21-year-old, with Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United keeping tabs on the transfer with both clubs willing to make a higher offer than what was offered to Everton by Chelsea.
It is understood that Stones wants to speak to Mourinho and the hierarchy at the Blues about a potential move.
The right-back or centre-back is now expected to leave Goodison Park for Stamford Bridge if Chelsea meet Everton’s asking price of £34million.
However, Martinez was already looking for another centre-back to come into his side to replace Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz prior to the bid from Chelsea, and it is now rumoured that the Toffees would want French defender Kurt Zouma on a season-long loan in return if Stones was to move this summer.
On his offer to Everton for Stones, Mourinho said: “We made a bid, we can make it – it’s an open market until September 1. We didn’t make an offer on September 2 or in March or two days before we play against Everton.
“We are making the bid in the period we have to make it, which is the open market. So until September 1, every single one of our players can get a bid and we can make bids for players from other clubs.” he added.
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
