Steven Naismith has encouraged young Everton teammate John Stones to stay at the club amid speculation linking him with Chelsea.
The Blues have reportedly identified the 21-year-old defender as a long-term replacement for captain John Terry, who turns 35 in December.
Speculation has mounted that the Toffees have rebuffed a third bid recently, with that offer thought to have been around the £30m mark.
"We definitely want him to stay – he is a fantastic guy and footballer and a mainstay in our team," he told Sky Sports News."You want your best players to be here to hopefully continue bringing success to Everton. He has progressed rapidly in the last two years.
"We want him to continue that under the leadership of the manager and also Phil Jagielka. I'm sure Stonesey would be the first to say he learns so much from him on a day-to-day basis. I think the club's stance on it has been pretty straightforward.
"The manager is looking forward with Stonesey in the team. He has mentioned wanting to bring in three more players in to strengthen and I don't think anyone has ever thought about Stonesey moving on."
Stones is contracted to the Goodison Park club until 2019.
Shane Callaghan
