The name John Stones will soon be one everyone's lips once next summer rolls around, with clubs looking to sign the next big thing. After the focus being on midfielders and strikers, it's nice to see that finally a defender is now being touted as the most coveted signature. And as much as Martinez would like to believe that he can keep a hold of Stones, with Barcelona now entering into the game, he doesn't stand a chance.
That is just the way of football now. If a team like Everton have a player who is good enough to get international attention, thy do not stand a chance of keeping him. It's as simple as that. There is no amount of money they could afford to offer Stones that could compete with the Geneva Fort-Knox vaults that Barcelona and Man United possess.
Even if you look beyond the $$ and ££, the very fact that Barcelona have even said they are interested in Stones, Everton should already be discussing what price they are going to hold out for. One thing is for sure, Johnny Stones is leaving Everton, the only question is how much Everton are going to get for him. So Martinez shouldn't be putting any real effort in trying to keep him. Yes, he should say all the right things in the media to make it look as if Stones isn't going anywhere, but behind the scenes, the owners of Everton are getting prepared to perhaps get even more money than they did for Rooney.
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Source: Bleacher Report
