Chelsea target Zenit star Ezequiel Garay if John Stones decides to join

Chesea fans here in the Transfer Tavern are getting very excited about the news coming from Metro, with the publication claiming that Zenit St Petersburg defender Ezequiel Garay is in talks with Chelsea about a potential transfer.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Pensioners have opened discussions with Zenit over the signing of their defender. The two clubs are trying to reach an agreement before the window closes.

Could this mean Chelsea have given up on Stones?

He has also previously played for Real Madrid, Racing Santander and Newell’s Old Boys and has only 31 caps for the Argentina national team.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has addressed the need of signing a central defender in the summer.

Either Stones or Garay, should they arrive, could well prove to be an ideal replacement for John Terry, who was hauled off at half time against City before being sent off early in the second period against the Albion.

It has been reported that Chelsea are preparing a £40m bid for Stones, which would be a British transfer record deal for a defender, should the transfer go through.

Garay only joined Zenit last season for €15m (fee via ESPN FC) from Benfica, meaning Chelsea will have to pay the Russian side at least that amount to land the star.

On the other hand, Garay has looked pretty good since leaving the Spanish capital, and like most players who have moved to Russian Federation for a large paycheck, would probably welcome a chance to earn a similar paycheck at virtually anywhere else on the planet.