
Everton
have rejected a third bid of £30m from Chelsea for England defender John
Stones, according to Sky sources.
The 21-year-old, who has four caps for England, is the subject of intense
interest from the Blues, who have also had previous bids of £25m and £20m
flatly turned down.
A senior official at Everton recently told
Sky Sports News HQ that
"the club have no intention of selling Stones and they have told Chelsea
that twice".
And Toffees boss Roberto Martinez declared last week that Stones will not be
sold in this window.
Martinez said: "I have said before the player is not for sale and that is
the end of it.
"Our situation has been very clear from the beginning. We are not a selling
club who will lose our best performers."
Chelsea are on the hunt for a new centre-half to join John Terry, Gary
Cahill and Kurt Zouma in vying for a starting spot under Jose Mourinho.
Terry was controversially substituted at half-time during the Blues' 3-0
defeat at Manchester City on Super Sunday.
Stones joined Everton from Barnsley in 2013 and has made 56 appearances for
the Merseyside club.