Everton are seemingly planning for life after John Stones as the Toffees are eyeing a move for Kalidou Koulibaly

The emergence of John Stones over the last two seasons has certainly proven to be a huge boost for Everton and many feel that the Toffees possess a gem on their hands.

However the development of Stones into a top quality defender has proven to be a double edged sword due to the fact that a host of clubs have expressed their interest in signing the 22-year old.

This summer, Chelsea have made no secret of their desire to sign Stones and despite Everton insisting that the defender is not for sale, it is looking increasingly likely that the young Englishman is destined for a move to Stamford Bridge.

While it remains to be seen whether or not Stones will leave Everton, it is clear that manager Roberto Martinez will need to reinforce his backline due to the departures of Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz this summer.

As a result, Martinez has been scouring the market to sign new defenders and it can now be revealed that the Everton boss has eyed up a move for Kalidou Koulibaly.

Koulibaly is a highly rated defender who earned a move to Italian giants Napoli at the start of last season. However, Koulibaly’s debut season at Naples did not turn out to be successful as he was limited to only 10 league appearances throughout the course of the campaign.

As a result, Koulibaly’s is said to be looking to move to fresh pastures in search of regular first team football and Everton have been seen as a likely destination for the 24-year old.

Napoli signed Koulibaly for a fee in the region of around £5million last season and it is likely that Everton will have to pay a similar amount in order to be able to lure the Frenchman to Goodison Park this summer.