Chelsea miss out on John Stones alternative, who signs for Roma instead

Chelsea have been chasing reinforcements at center back this summer, and have been focused on Everton defender John Stones. While the Blues decide whether to submit a fourth bid for the player, one of their secondary options has completed a transfer elsewhere:

#ASRoma are delighted to announce the official signing of Antonio #Rüdiger http://t.co/Dnsv85QWHu pic.twitter.com/SfKgDHRhvG

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 19, 2015

Rudiger was often considered a cheaper alternative to Stones, though personally, I'm fine with letting him come off the market and join the Serie A side. He wasn't one that had me overly excited, much like Lyon's Samuel Umtiti.

That said, a shrinking market should only help Everton as they continue to hold out for a bid that they just can't turn down, as the Blues have fewer fallback options should they become fed up with the Toffees. It's starting to look like Stones or bust in terms of defensive reinforcement.