Chelsea have reportedly made a fourth and final £37million bid for John Stones, which is a British record for a defender.
The bid has reportedly been rejected by Everton despite Stones’ handing in a transfer request on Tuesday.
Chelsea, who had bids of £20m, £25m and £30m rejected earlier this month, are now  said to be exploring alternate options.
The Stamford Bridge club were reportedly confident a deal could be done, but Everton’s public display of defiance has now forced Jose Mourinho to seek an alternative. a
Real Madrid’s Raphaele Varane or Ezequiel Garay of Zenit St Petersburg are said to be Chelsea’s secondary targets.
Stones told Everton on Tuesday that he wanted to move to Chelsea, but Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has turned down Stones’ request, adding that he would not sanction a deal ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
He said: “Everton have rejected a transfer request from John Stones.
“Since the start of the window, we have resolutely turned down offers from another Premier League club for our player.
“John is not for sale and he will remain a highly-valued member of our first-team squad.” Everton manager Roberto Martinez surprisingly selected the 21-year-old for Wednesday’s Capital One Cup second-round tie at Barnsley which can only be read as an act of defience.
Author- Luke Adam
