Chelsea have had a third bid turned down by Everton for defender John Stones.
The Blues renewed their interest in the 21-year-old centre-back and offered £30million this time, but they have once again been turned down by The Toffees.
Chelsea initially made a bid worth £20m for the England international, and then went back in with a £25m bid, but saw both offers turned down by the Merseyside club.
After a couple of weeks focusing on the return of the Premier League, Jose Mourinho cooled his interest in the centre-back, but after seeing his side lose to Manchester City convincingly, he was forced to renew his interest.
However, a new and improved £30m bid has now been turned down as well by Everton, with Roberto Martinez reluctant to sell.
Chelsea will have to break the defensive transfer record, which currently stands at £32m.
Some reports are claiming the champions could go as high as £40m in order to land their star-target.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt