Everton defender John Stones was the shock name on Barcelona’s shopping list of central defenders last summer.

Barcelona ended up signing 31-year-old Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia for £14.5m and 29-year-old Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal for £15m but influential voices at the Catalan club urged then sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta to bid for 20-year-old Stones instead.

According to El Pais, Barcelona were desperate for defensive reinforcements at the end of last season. The former Barnsley defender moved himself up the list of possible targets with performances for Everton that saw the youngster on the stand-by list for England’s World Cup campaign in Brazil.

Everton defender John Stones was on Barcelona's list of defensive transfer targets last summer

Barcelona were desperate for reinforcements and Stones' performances caught the eye of the Catalans

His ability to play at right-back as well as centre-back played in his favour with the club preparing for the likely departure of Dani Alves currently in the final year of his contract and Barcelona's preference for central defenders with the mobility and technique to play at full-back.

In the end Barcelona coach Luis Enrique insisted on the signing of Mathieu – another who can also fill-in at full-back - and Stones signed a new £30,000-a-week five-year deal keeping him at Everton until 2019.

The contract was seen as a rebuff to Chelsea who were following Stones but it now also seems to have been in response to interest from La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Stones signed a new £30,000-a-week five year deal keeping him at Everton until 2019

French defender Mathieu has been a success at the Camp Nou but Vermaelen is yet to start a game for Barcelona. The Belgian arrived with a hamstring injury sustained at the World Cup and never played more than a friendly against an Indonesian XI before having an operation in Finland in December to remedy the problem.

He is now training with team-mates but still some way off match fitness and while he could be available for the last month of the season Barcelona have no margin of error in the league and he may have to wait until next season to make his first start.

With Vermaelen struggling to regain fitness and both Mathieu and Javier Mascherano having reached 30, Barcelona – who cannot sign anyone until January 2016 because of a Fifa ban – have not forgotten about Stones, who turns 21 at the end of May.

Barcelona ended up signing Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu who netted against Celta Vigo on Sunday