Chelsea are ready to turn to Greek international Kostas Manolas if they fail to land Everton youngster John Stones according to the Metro.
The 24-year-old AS Roma star is seen by Jose Mourinho as an alternative option to those within his current Stamford Bridge, with both John Terry and Gary Cahill having both spent time out of the starting eleven following a disastrous start to Chelsea’s title defence.
Currently Mourinho appears to see Cahill and Kurt Zouma as his first-choice central defensive pairing and the Blues boss may well see Manolas as a longer-term alternative.
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Chelsea have conceded 17 goals in their opening eight Premier League fixtures, only Sunderland have let in more, and it appears that Mourinho’s inability to convince Everton to sell John Stones over the summer may have proven a real obstacle to their hopes of securing major silverware this term.
Stones was the subject of numerous failed bids and Everton are thought to want at least £40m for the 21-year-old England man, a move for Manolas would cost significantly less.