Chelsea move on from Stones to find new Terry replacement

After all the twists and turns in the soap opera that is Chelsea Football Club this season, the first episode of the drama, the one where they failed to sign Everton centre back John Stones, seems like a lifetime ago.

The Blues’ inability to break Everton’s resolve in keeping their England international defender could be seen as the beginning of the end for Jose Mourinho’s second reign at Stamford Bridge.

With the transfer window reopen for the winter, many would have expected the London outfit to return to the Toffees to once again land their man. However, it seems Chelsea have moved on from the idea of Stones becoming John Terry’s long-term replacement, with a new successor targeted instead.

According to the Daily Mirror, Roman Abramovich will look to splash the cash on Crystal Palace centre half Scott Dann.

The Eagles man, who is seven years older than his Everton counterpart at 28, has been heavily scouted by the King’s Road club according to the newspaper.

After an impressive campaign thus far, which has raised the prospect of an England call up in some quarters, it’s likely that the Chelsea talent spotters have been impressed with what they’ve seen.

Although he’s not as youthful as Stones, Dann would still be able to fill the void left by 35-year-old Terry’s departure for a number of years.

He excels on the left side of a defensive pairing, like Terry, and chips in with his fair share of goals from set pieces, just like the former England skipper.

Although Dann’s price tag is almost certain to be cheaper than the eye-watering fees that were bandied around for Stones, it is in the wages department where Chelsea would really need to fork out.

The former Birmingham defender only put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with Palace last term, which sees him earn around £60k a week.

In order to prise the player away from what the Mirror call a good working relationship with Alan Pardew, the paper suggests Abramovich double that pay packet.

After earning a last-gasp draw against Stones and co at the weekend, Chelsea lie in 14th place in the Premier League. They remain shorter to finish in the top four at 18/1 than they are to be relegated, which is priced at 80s.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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