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After having their bids rejected for Evertonian defender John Stones, Chelsea are set to ready their fourth bid for the promising Englishman, according to The Telegraph. But Roberto Martinez insists that Stones is not for sale and believes he will remain an Everton player by the end of the transfer window.
The reigning champions initially made a bid of £20 million, which was further increased to £26 million and finally a third bid of £30 million was registered. All of Chelsea’s bids were rejected as Everton remain adamant that Stones will not be leaving the club.
According to the report, Stones made his desire to leave the club and join the Blues by handing a transfer request on Tuesday afternoon before training. Martinez does not wish to lose the highly coveted defender from his Everton squad and has stated that the transfer request will have no effect on the club’s position.
Chelsea readying £33 million bid for Stones
Chelsea are ready to pounce on the situation and is readying their fourth bid of £33 million which could possibly go up to £35 million by the end of transfer window. If the bid is accepted, it will make John Stones the most expensive English defender beating Rio Ferdinand’s record move to Manchester United from Leeds United for a fee of £29.1 million back in 2002.
Chelsea has had a slow start to the season with both John Terry and Gary Cahill struggling in their opening three matches. The West London outfit is looking to bolster their defence and Mourinho believes Stones could be the long-term replacement for the ageing John Terry.
Stones has already produced solid performances for Everton this season, especially against Manchester City, despite the ongoing speculation.
Won’t speak about other team players when league has begun: Mourinho
When Jose Mourinho was asked about his interest in Stones last week, he said: “Let's see what happens. I don't speak about players from other clubs when the championship has started.
“People used to call it the transfer window. I call it the opportunity window. While the window is open, there is always an opportunity.”
Ezequiel Garay not for sale
There has been speculation of Chelsea’s interest on Zenit St. Petersburg’s defender Ezequiel Garay if Stones’ pursuit fails. However, Zenit insists the Argentine player is not for sale and there has been no contact from the English champions.
Garay, who is 28, is central to the plans of former Chelsea boss Andres Villas-Boas who is currently the head coach at Zenit.
