According to reports from The Daily Star, Manchester United are preparing a £50million bid to land Chelsea target and Everton defender John Stones at the end of the season.
Since joining the Goodison ranks from Barnsley in January 2013, the 21-year-old has emerged as arguably the most exciting home-grown talent in the Premier League, boasting rare agility and skill for an English centre-half.
Chelsea notoriously saw three bids rejected for the England international during the summer, their last offer believed to be worth around £38million, and a host of rival suitors have been linked with Stones in the meantime, not least including Arsenal, Manchester United and European champions Barcelona.
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According to The Daily Star, the Red Devils are hoping to blow their rivals out of the water with a record-breaking £50million offer, that would not only constitute the highest fee ever paid for an England international but also the highest fee ever paid for a defender by a Premier League club – eclipsing Manchester City’s £32million man Eliaquim Mangala.
They also see Champions League football as another major advantage – with 14th-placed Chelsea unlikely to offer the same incentive come next summer. Many sources, however, believe the Blues will make another move for Stones in January rather than at the end of the season – when the 6 foot 2 defender’s value could soar at Euro 2016.