Everton reject a fourth Chelsea bid for John Stones

On Thursday, Everton very publicly told John Stones that he'd be staying with his current club, despite interest and some very reasonable (to be modest) offers from Chelsea. Now, we're hearing that Chelsea had, in fact, lodged a fourth bid for the player, which Everton have promptly rejected, though it's unclear how much this latest offer was worth:

Chelsea have had a fourth bid rejected for John Stones and could now walk away. More @MirrorFootball

— Darren Lewis (@MirrorDarren) August 27, 2015

At this point, the sensible side of me wants to see Chelsea simply walk away, and focus their attention elsewhere for the remainder of the transfer window*. Everton are well within their rights to force the player to honor his contract, even if it seems a bit sleazy, given the size of the Chelsea offers, and the player's preference for moving on.

*Insert mandatory Paul Pogba mention here

On the other hand, I'd also be thoroughly entertained if Chelsea simply began bombarding Everton with offers, while making sure the press knew about every single bid. Jose Mourinho making a few comments to keep the player unsettled would be hilarious as well, turnaround being fair play, and all that.

Regardless, it doesn't appear that John Stones will be joining Chelsea this summer.