Chelsea are in talks with Everton as they look to sign Toffees’ duo Romelu Lukaku and John Stones, according to reports from Belgium.
The Blues have been trying to sign the two players for around a year now. Their efforts, though, were remarkably thwarted last summer as Everton managed to hold on to their best players.
However, a report in Belgian news outlet HLN suggests that both the clubs are in talks over the double signing of Lukaku and Stones.
Chelsea have struggled for form this season, only managing to finish 10th in the Premier League. One of the main reasons for their catastrophic failure has been their inability to find a regular goalscorer. While Diego Costa has been in decent form in the last few months, he looked completely out of sorts in the first half of the season.
They did not have a lot of options to turn to either, when Costa was unavailable or out of form. Both Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy look nothing like the fearsome strikers they once were, while winter loanee Alexandre Pato has been too out of shape to take regular part in the first team matches. Also, having two quality strikers in the team will ensure there is a bit of healthy competition in the team.
The defence has also been an area of worry for Chelsea, who have conceded 53 goals in the 2015/16 Premier League campaign — that’s 21 goals more than what they conceded in the 2014/15 season, when they became champions. The Blues are looking to strengthen their defence, especially as they are looking for a long term replacement for the ageing John Terry (35) and Branislav Ivanovic (32).
Stones to be the new Bonucci?
Incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is set to make some fundamental changes to the way Chelsea go about playing their football. During his time as a manager at Siena, Juventus, and the Italian national team, Conte has shown an affinity for playing three defenders at the back.
The central defender in the three centre-back setup has to be someone with a good footballing brain, and who can pass the ball well. Conte had Bonucci playing that role at Juventus and Italy. However, since the Italian defender has committed his future to Juventus, Conte needs to find a defender who can play the Bonucci role.
Stones could well be the man to operate in this role, as he does have the attributes to be a good passer. The England international has also shown his versatility, playing both centre back and right back for Everton.
