Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that it will take a huge fee to sign Everton defender John Stones and has launched an attack on Everton by suggesting they are a “small club”.
According to the Sky Sports News, Chelsea FC had a A?20 million bid for John Stones turned down by Everton earlier in the week, a news . also confirmed by the Guardian.
Sky Sports then confirmed later in the week that Chelsea FC were set to table an increased offer for the defender.
The report said:
Sky Sports News HQ understands that Chelsea are likely to make an increased offer for Everton defender John Stones.
Everton insist the player is not for sale, but Chelsea are still hopeful of reaching an agreement to sign the 21-year-old.
ESPN FC say that the offer could be in the region of 26 million GBP.
Chelsea are ready to step up their efforts to sign Everton defender John Stones and make a second bid of A?26 million, sources have told ESPN FC.
Mourinho admits Stones will not come cheap
Mourinho has admitted that there is a premium for buying English players which may also be the case with John Stones with the Telegraph claiming Chelsea FC might need to pay more than the A?32a million Man chester United paid last season for Luke Shaw a an English record for a defender.
“That is the market. And you only pay it if you want,” Mourinho accepted. “If you don’t want to pay it, don’t pay. It’s as simple as that.
“The market has no rules or limits from season to season. And not even the introduction of financial fair play rules is able to control the market. The market is where it is and it’s up to the clubs to decide yes or no. For ourselves there are certain rules.”
Mourinho responds to Roberto Martinez’s jibes, calls Everton “small club”
Everton manager Roberto Martinez had criticized Chelsea FCa s open pursuit of Stones, accusing the Londoners of unsettling the player.
Responding to Martinez’s claim, Mourinho was at his sarcastic best.
“It’s a good market. That is why smaller other clubs if they have interesting young English players they use that in the right way for them. I don’t even criticise them. They play the market for themselves.”
“Our strategy for the Premier League is going to change next year. Next year we are going to make the first bid on the day after the window closes. On that day, we will do a bid for the season later.”
“Because at this moment [it seems] the market is closed. We are all in a strange world. We are all in a strange world. We think it [the transfer market] is open but it is not open it is closed. So the day after it closes, we are going to make a bid for the next season.”