Chelsea £30m John Stones bid to be refused, according to sources

Posted Tuesday, August 11, 2015 by ESPN

Everton will resist an offer in the region of £30 million from Chelsea for their central defender John Stones, sources have told ESPN.

The Premier League champions had a bid for Stones rejected last month and they are widely reported to be preparing another bid to try and sign 21-year-old Stones in the coming days.

Yet the Goodison Park club are determined to hang on to their prized asset unless the bidding for Stones reaches levels that will be challenging to resist, with boss Roberto Martinez telling Sky Sports that he views transfer interest in players like Ross Barkley and Stones as a compliment to his club.

"Players like Stones and Ross Barkley have an incredible future and will attract interest from the outside," the Everton boss said "As a football club these players are going to be a part of our success in the future, so we take [interest] as a positive compliment."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho urged Everton to confirm that they would not sell Stones at any price last month, as his club made an aggressive bid to try and sign a player being hailed as the best young defender in the English game.

Yet Mourinho has since hinted that his club will not raise their bid much further in their attempts to sign Stones, as he has persistently stated that he is not concerned about adding to his squad before the close of the current transfer window.

Stones has yet to comment on Chelsea's bids to sign him this summer, with Martinez eager to hang on to a player who he sees as a key figure in his defensive lineup this season