Chelsea Transfer News: Big Names Revealed in Latest Stamford Bridge Rumours

Everton’s exciting centre-back John Stones is reportedly on Chelsea’s wish-list this summer, with Blues boss Jose Mourinho having apparently given up on Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane.

According to Alan Oliver of the Sunday People (h/t the Sunday Mirror), the England international is “highly regarded” by the champions and his acquisition would potentially assist Chelsea when it comes to meeting the requisite quota for home-grown players within a squad.

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Stones is rightly revered as one of European football’s most promising young defenders. Here’s how he fared in league matches last season compared to Varane and Chelsea’s own up-and-coming centre-back Kurt Zouma:

	Stones	Varane	Zouma
Apps (Sub)	23	21 (6)	7 (8)
Goals	1	0	0
Tackles per Game	1.4	1.2	1.1
Interceptions per Game	1.5	2	0.5
Clearances per Game	6	5	3.1
Blocks per Game	1.1	0.7	0.2
Passing Accuracy	89.5%	89%	80.6%

Mourinho’s apparent search for defensive reinforcements is understandable. While skipper John Terry enjoyed a tremendous campaign in 2014-15, he won’t be able to go on for ever. As such, the champions need another figure who, like Terry, can step into the heart of the defence and become a mainstay of the team.

Stones is a player that many, including Matt Lawless of the Daily Mail, have tipped to follow in Terry's footsteps and become England captain:

For a 21-year-old, there’s certainly an exciting future ahead for the Everton man. His ability on the ball has been heralded and his penchant for striding forward in possession gives the Toffees a crucial extra dimension. But for one so young, his inherent defensive instincts are tremendous too.

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As Oulala Fantasy Foot noted last season, Stones was actually outperforming a lot of illustrious names in a plethora of crucial categories:

Goodison Park remains the best place for Stones to develop, though. There are still some edges in his game which need smoothing down and while he does have the temperament to replace someone like Terry, he’d initially struggle to get a regular starting spot in what is a formidable Chelsea back line.

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Another season or two developing at Everton and Stones could potentially blossom into one of the very best defenders in the Premier League. If Chelsea come calling with big money then they'd be getting a much more multifaceted player and it’d be tough for the Toffees to resist their advances.

Mourinho Wants Pepe Reunion

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If the Blues are thwarted in their pursuit of Stones, Real Madrid’s Pepe could be a player who could add some immediate depth to Chelsea’s centre-back options. According to Tom Hopkinson of the Sunday People (h/t the Sunday Mirror), the Blues and Manchester City are both tracking the defender, with contract talks stalling in the Spanish capital.

According to the piece, new Los Blancos boss Rafa Benitez will go with Varane as his starting centre-back alongside Sergio Ramos next season. That’s cast doubt over the Portuguese’s future, and with his deal due to expire in the summer of 2016, Real could be willing to cash in for a fee of £10.5 million, according to Hopkinson.

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However, according to J.L. Calderon of Marca, even though Varane will take on more responsibility, Real are not looking to let Pepe leave.

It’s certainly an intriguing proposition for the Blues. While Pepe has a reputation for being melodramatic and feisty, he’s a quality operator at the back, something confirmed by the manner in which he’s kept the highly-rated young Frenchman out of the Real side for so long.

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But as Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Johnson discussed here, there are bigger issues for the Blues to address in the summer window than at the back:

The merits of bringing in a young defender like Stones are obvious. But the logic behind landing Pepe, who is 32 years old, for a sizeable fee is unclear. Mourinho already has a clutch of experienced defenders at hand in Terry, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic, after all.

Potentially, the Portuguese would be a tremendous acquisition for a top team should he leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. Chelsea simply don’t need a player of his style at the moment, though, and it’d be a major surprise to see Pepe donning the all-blue strip come the 2015-16 season.