Everton’s hunt for a centre back goes on- despite the ongoing rumours surrounding the future of John Stones.
The Toffees have already rejected two bids from Chelsea for the young England defender, the second around the region of £26 million.
Reports in the Manchester Evening news claim that Manchester United are also tracking Stones. A swap deal involving Jonny Evans plus cash add-ons is the reported bid that the Red Devils are preparing.
Roberto Martinez has refused to rule out a bid from Everton for Celtic’s Dutch centre-half Virgil van Dijk, according to the Daily Mail.
The Scottish champions are holding out for at least £10million for their man, a figure the Toffees boss seems to be willing to pay.
“Our squad is not complete,” claimed Martinez.
“Central defence is one of those positions. Two experienced centre-halves left the squad, so we need to fill those gaps.
“I’m still assessing two of the young players we’ve got in the squad, but maybe we need another new face at centre-half.
“We will wait as long as we can to select the person we want.”
Reports in Scotland claim Everton scouts watched Van Dijk from the stands in the clubs UEFA Champions League qualifier against Qarabag.
Thomas Heurtaux has also been strongly linked with a move to Merseyside, according to InsideFutbol.
The 27-year old made 26 appearances for Udinese last season, with Italian champions Juventus also keeping tabs on the Frenchman.
Sky Italia’s Tancredi Palmeri has also confirmed Everton’s interest in the former Caen defender.
