Wednesday 22 July 2015 15:11, UK
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has conceded it will take a huge fee to sign defender John Stones and has risked upsetting Everton by suggesting they are a "small club".
The Premier League champions, currently on their United States pre-season tour, had an initial bid of £20m for Stones rejected with Sky sources reporting on July 18 that they were set to increase their offer.
With Everton boss Roberto Martinez criticising the Blues for the way they handled their approach, Mourinho knows he faces a fight to secure the services of the 21-year-old England star.
"That is the market now," Mourinho told several national newspapers. "You only pay it if you want to. If you don't want to pay it, don't pay. It's as simple as that. The market has no rules or limits from season to season."
After the summer departures of Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz, Everton's defensive numbers are already on the light side and Martinez has insisted he is not interested in selling any of his stars.
But Mourinho, who has risked further upsetting the Merseysiders with comments about the status of Everton, is determined to test that resolve.
"It's a good market. That's why smaller clubs, if they have interesting young English players, they use that in the right way for them," the Portuguese manager said.
"I don't criticise them. They play the market for themselves. If the big clubs don't want to go over certain limits, they have to make a decision."
