And the champions will apparently follow the move up with a move for Paris Saint Germain’s Marquinhos as they look to bolster their back line (via Mirror).
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Despite storming to a fourth title last season, Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Southampton has piled the pressure on boss Jose Mourinho.
Barcelona could swoop for John Stones after the Everton defender reportedly made Luis Enrique’s list of transfer targets.
The odd situation Chelsea find themselves in continued when both Diego Costa and Ramires felt it necessary to come out in support of Mourinho.
Captain John Terry, 34, is struggling for form and more competition at the back can only be a good if they are to get out of their current predicament.
The Blues made four separate bids for Stones – the final one of £38m – but both manager Roberto Martinez and club chairman Bill Kenwright stood firm over their resistance to let the 21-year-old leave.
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The initial bid for Marquinhos defender was said to be around £33.1m but was turned down by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelafi. Given Mourinho’s track record at Chelsea, he deserves the time to turn around the team’s fortunes, but unless a top defensive recruit, such as Stones, is signed in January, the season could be one to forget for the Stamford Bridge faithful. At just 21 and still very highly rated despite being stuck behind Thiago Silva and David Luiz in the PSG pecking order, we could certainly do worse than Marquinhos.
