Everton manager Roberto Martinez has accused Chelsea of playing dirty in their pursuit of John Stones.
The Spaniard has blasted the Blues for leaking their interest in the England international defender to the press in order to increase the pressure on the Toffees.
Sky Sports reported on Friday that the Premier League champions had had a £20m bid rejected for Stones, and an angry Martinez has insisted that Everton are “not a selling club”.
“We pride ourselves on playing a certain way and educating our young players in a manner that they are going to always get attention from elsewhere and that is always a compliment,” he said.
“The other side is the disappointment of seeing a football club leaking such statements to the press and making it so open.
“That is not the way we would do it at Everton, we would not speak of a player who is registered at another club and there is no issue from our point of view – John Stones is an Everton player.
“We are not a selling club. We are not a club that needs to be worried about what other clubs put through the press.”
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has admitted that they will return with another bid for the 21-year-old.
Stones, who is capable of playing at either centre-back or right-back, has only made 54 senior appearances for Everton since joining from Barnsley for £3m in January 2013.
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