Chelsea turn to Everton’s John Stones for defensive future

The insistence on clubs filling their home grown quota of players could hold sway on certain club’s transfer activities this summer, with Chelsea the latest to be linked to a upcoming British talent.

Everton’s John Stones is reported to be of major interest to the Premier League champions, and it is only a matter of time before a bid is forthcoming, according to the Daily Mail.

The Englishman has been a revelation since arriving at Goodison Park in 2013 from Barnsley for a fee in the region of £3m.

Solidifying himself as a regular feature in the centre of the Toffees’ defence, Stones has gone on to earn himself a call-up to the England senior squad, going on to earn four caps for the Three Lions.

His attendance in the starting XI for Everton this season has certainly proved useful, with the 20-year-old being in the line-up for seven of the side’s 10 clean sheets in the Premier League this season.

Jose Mourinho will not only see the potential arrival of Stones at Stamford Bridge as another home grown player added to the quota, but he could be one for the future in west London.

The Blues’ captain John Terry is approaching the twilight of his career, and with retirement surely only a couple of years away, scouting for a replacement could begin in earnest in the coming months.

With Gary Cahill likely to step into the senior centre-back role, an understudy such as Stones could prove the perfect transition for Chelsea.

A big name international signing to bolster his defences doesn’t appear to be Mourinho’s style, with the Portuguese manager seemingly loyal to his first choice centre-back pairing.

In his first spell at Chelsea, after Ricardo Carvalho arrived with him from Porto, a partnership was formed with Terry that was virtually impossible to break.

After that at Real Madrid, Mourinho opted against making massive outlays for his back-line unless it was necessary.

Only when Carvalho was approaching the latter stage of his contract, at the age of 34, did Mourinho turn to the young Frenchman Raphael Varane.

And with Varane establishing himself as a Galactico mainstay, it appears that sort of approach works.

Everton will be reluctant to part with their English talent, but with the millions Chelsea are sure to throw at their pursuit, any struggle may well be in vain.

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