If the last few weeks were all about Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, the past week seems to have been dedicated to Everton’s John Stones who currently finds himself at the centre of a very public pursuit from Premier League champions Chelsea.
Both Roberto Martinez and Jose Mourinho have had their say on the matter with the Toffees boss disgusted with the way in which the Blues manager has publicly declared an interest in one of their prized assets.
On the face of it, it seems as though Chelsea – a club with undoubted pulling power – are aiming to turn the player’s head and while Everton have played hardball with the likes of Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman in recently passed windows, they most famously sold Wayne Rooney and look what he went on to achieve.
For many, Stones is viewed as the future of England’s defence at centre back and it’s clear that he is a talented footballer who will be Phil Jagielka’s partner this season – or will he?
Having seen a £20 million bid rejected so far this summer, the expectation is that Chelsea will return with an improved offer for the England international who they will shape up to be the next John Terry following his retirement in a few years.
While the likes of the London Evening Standard have reported that Chelsea boss Mourinho is after one more player this summer – ideally Stones – you can never quite tell with the Portuguese tactician and that’s why we’ve devised a list of five other players that could be following the former Barnsley man to Stamford Bridge this summer.
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Click on the image below to reveal the 5 players to follow John Stones to Chelsea this summer.
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Axel Witsel
Earlier in the transfer window, there was talk that John Obi Mikel was no longer happy with the role he was playing at Chelsea and was looking for a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer.
However in the weeks that have passed since, news regarding an exit for the long serving Nigerian has died down massively, suggesting that Mikel may be staying after all.
Nevertheless, if Mikel does intend to follow up on his decision to exit West London, one player Chelsea reportedly have their eye on as a replacement is Zenit Saint-Petersburg’s Axel Witsel.
The Belgian international has been considered a top class defensive midfielder for some time now since his Benfica days and if Chelsea were to land the player, he could be reunited with Nemanja Matic whom he played with in his time spent at Estadio da Luz.
A couple of days ago, Metro went as far to claim that Chelsea were closing in on a £22.9 million deal for the player so watch this space.
Aaron Cresswell
From what the papers are saying at the moment, it looks as if Filipe Luis could be closing in on an immediate return to Atletico Madrid, just a season after the Blues signed him from the Vicente Calderon.
With Jose Mourinho having confirmed that talks are underway between the Brazilian and Atleti, the £15 million arrival never managed to usurp Cesar Azpilicueta and shed his tag as a utility player last term.
Not blowing anybody away when he stepped up to the first team either, you’d imagine Chelsea would be open to selling him in the next week or so and if a move is completed, the Blues will need to source a replacement and fast.
While a move would be considered a long shot so close to the season, perhaps Chelsea could go back in for West Ham United’s Aaron Cresswell who they’ve admired for a little while now following his fantastic adaptation to the Premier League last term.
Cresswell has previously mentioned that he’s happy at Upton Park but reports back in April claimed Chelsea were clear to land the uncapped England ace for a £20 million fee.
Pedro
Barcelona’s Pedro is a wanted man this summer and with Arda Turan being added to the simply scintillating mix of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in January 2016, the Spanish international is understandably considering his future at the Camp Nou.
Of the interested parties, both Chelsea and Manchester United have been mentioned the most frequently over the last couple of weeks but the latest from the Daily Mail is that Jose Mourinho has ruled out signing another winger such as Pedro.
The Portuguese boss claimed: “I have five wingers, if I lose one maybe I am interested in another but at this moment I have balance and quality and numbers.”
We think this is a classic Mourinho response and with the futures of Mohamed Salah and Victor Moses far from being totally secure, we reckon the Blues could still move for Pedro late in the window if the aforementioned deadwood is shifted.
Baba Rahman
Out of all of the Chelsea rumours in cyberspace right now, it looks as if this one is the most realistic and possibly days from completion.
Chelsea have been interested in FC Augsburg’s Ghanaian international left back Baba Rahman for a little while now and the latest from The Independent is that Filipe Luis’ prolonged departure is blocking the deal from being completed.
While we mentioned Aaron Cresswell as a viable replacement for the Brazilian in our previous slide, it looks as if Chelsea have fully set their sights on the lesser known Rahman who is still just 21-years-old.
It’s reported that Chelsea want to recoup £16 million for Filipe Luis and with Atletico not willing to pay that fee at present, the situation is one of stalemate at present.
Rahman himself will be hoping that both Atletico and Chelsea get a move on of course.
Alessio Romagnoli
A name we’ve become more accustomed to hearing of late in the tavern is Roma’s Alessio Romagnoli who could represent a noteworthy bargaining chip this summer.
The Italy Under-21 international has already played 13 times for the Giallorossi in Serie A but has to compete with the likes of Kostas Manolas, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Leandro Castan for a place in Rudi Garcia’s starting eleven.
Spending last season out on loan at Sampdoria, Romagnoli is still rated very highly in the Italian capital but this hasn’t stopped him being linked to the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and AC Milan so far this summer.
The latest from the Daily Mail is that Chelsea outcast Mohamed Salah is interesting Roma after a decent spell on loan for Fiorentina in Serie A last term.
If Roma are to do a deal for Salah, the Blues will reportedly request Romagnoli in return as part of the deal and if Chelsea eventually fail to land John Stones from Everton, he could represent an ideal alternative.
