Chelsea defender Gary Cahill believes John Stones will find it hard to turn a move to Stamford Bridge down and insisted the young defender will be able to handle the pressure of playing for the champions.
The Blues have already had a bid of £20m rejected by Everton, but remain confident of signing the defender before the start of next season.
The 21-year-old is believed to be valued by the Toffees and Roberto Martinez at £30m, however Chelsea are reportedly ready to make a bid of £26m within the coming days.
And Cahill told London Evening Standard Sport that the chance to join the Premier League champions will be hard to refuse.
“In terms of ambition, if you’re a young player in the game, have played in the Premier League like he did a lot last year, and a big club come calling, it’s very difficult to turn down because you want to achieve the most you can in the short period you have in your career as a professional footballer,” Cahill told the Standard.
When a top club come calling, who you know will be firing on all fronts with competitions and medals, that’s ultimately what you want to be playing for. It’s hard to turn down, of course.”
Negotiations between the clubs have threatened to become slightly heated, with Everton accusing the Blues of unsettling Stones.
However it is believed the Toffees would accept a fee in the region of £30m, matching the record transfer fee for an English defender; after Rio Ferdinand’s move from Leeds to Manchester United in 2002.
And Cahill believes the fee would not effect the 21-year-old.
“When you talk about being able to handle something like that, you look at their personality.”
From what I have seen when I have been away with him for England, he is a genuinely nice guy, a down to earth lad.
“There is nothing ‘big-time’ about him. So for me, I’m sure he will be able to cope with the fee if it happens. Plus, with the right support around him, like from the more experienced players in the Chelsea squad, and his family, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
He is a top young player. Of course he is still young and is still learning but in terms of potential, he is a fantastic player.
Mourinho has spoken out about his current squad and believes the addition of Stones would give his side the perfect balance heading into the 2015-16 season.
Alongside Kurt Zouma, the England international looks set to replace Chelsea’s current central-defensive pairing of John Terry and Cahill in the next few seasons, as Mourinho looks to build for the future.
21-year-old left-back Abdul Rahman Baba has also been linked with a move from Augsburg to London as Filipe Luis is on the verge of rejoining Atletico Madrid.
