Everton boss Roberto Martinez has no intention of weakening his squad in January as the future of John Stones comes to the fore again.

The England international was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea during the off-season and was the subject of three failed bids from the Premier League champions.

Martinez has stressed on numerous occasions this term that they want to keep Stones and he will not welcome renewed interest in the 21-year-old defender during the January transfer window.

“It’s very different (in January). When you are right in the middle of the season I think players understand you can’t sell someone if you can’t replace him,” the Spaniard said.

“The uncertainty comes in the summer where everyone speaks about possibilities. That’s where there is constant talk and debate.

“January is a window to solve problems with players who are not featuring as often as they feel they should, or to bring in players from a lower league to give them an opportunity. We created a squad to see how far we could go over 10 months.

“January doesn’t even come into consideration. We’ll never lose anyone in January unless it is somebody who hasn’t been playing and we need to find a solution. If he is a top performer, it’s not even a consideration.”

Source Foxsports