Chelsea waiting on Stones reaction before lodging another bid

Chelsea have tried and failed to take John Stones away from Everton three times already this summer, but will wait on the player before returning with a fourth, and even larger, bid. The Telegraph is reporting that Jose Mourinho and the Chelsea board aren't giving up on the young England man yet, but that they'd like to see if Stones begins to agitate for a move before testing the Toffees' resolve again.

Stones is widely believed to be in favor of a move to one of Europe's larger clubs*, but manager Roberto Martinez has been praising the manner in which the player has handled the media attention thus far. It will be interesting to see whether or not Stones continues to ignore the attention, or whether the promise of a larger paycheck and Champions League football are enough to convince the youngster to change the way he's approaching the situation.

*Sorry, Bob, but Everton don't qualify anymore

Regardless, I'd be shocked if Chelsea didn't return with a fourth, increased, offer, in order to put the pressure on Everton's board to cash in. The last two weeks of the transfer window should be interesting, at least.