Chelsea linked to Stones alternative, moving on from the Everton man?

Chelsea have been seeking reinforcement at the back throughout the summer transfer window, and on Tuesday, were linked to a surprising new target. Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting that Chelsea have begun negotiations involving Zenit St. Petersburg defender Ezequiel Garay.

From where I'm sitting, this move would make very little sense. Garay probably isn't an obvious upgrade to any of the center backs already at Chelsea, and at 28, isn't likely to develop anymore either. He has also worked under Jose Mourinho once before, with the Portuguese manager giving him only eight total appearances at Real Madrid, before allowing him to leave for Benfica at the end of their one season together.

On the other hand, Garay has looked pretty good since leaving the Spanish capital, and like most players who have moved to Russia for a large paycheck, would probably welcome a chance to earn a similar paycheck at virtually anywhere else on the planet. If he'd be willing to move for the sake of moving, with a very real possibility that he'd rarely see the pitch, a move to the Blues could have some appeal.

Still, this news strikes me as the sort of leak that we've heard before, mainly while Chelsea have been struggling to finalize a deal for a different player that made far more sense. I suppose this warrants some watching during the final few days of the transfer window, but I'd be pretty surprised if it actually happened.