John Stones to Chelsea: Everton reject £20m bid for England defender

Stones has made four appearances for England and is held in high regard at Goodison Park

(GETTY IMAGES)

Chelsea are believed to have had a £20m bid for Everton defender John Stones rejected, according to reports.

The Blues have been criticised for their lack of movement in the transfer window so far, given Manchester United and Liverpool’s swift action this summer. With Jose Mourinho already having a Premier League title-winning side on his hands, the expectation is that they will only make one or two signings before the closure of the transfer window.

Chelsea have already secured the services of former Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao on a season-long loan from Monaco, but they appear to be ready to make a move for Stones after Sky Sports News reported that a £20m offer was rejected by the Merseyside club.

21-year-old Stones has already made four appearances for England and has been marked out as a potential Premier League star of the future, having made his top flight debut in 2013 and becoming a first-team regular alongside captain Phil Jagielka last season.

Stones has formed a predominantly home-grown defence at Everton, with England team-mates Jagielka and Leighton Baines joined by Republic of Ireland international Seamus Coleman.

However, Chelsea must have seen something in Stones’ 82 Everton appearances to date given that they are not short on defensive options, with regulars John Terry and Gary Cahill supported by Kurt Zouma and Branislav Ivanovic should he need to switch inside from his regular right-back position.

Stones joined Everton from Barnsley in 2013 (Getty Images)

The move for Stones can almost be seen as a changing of the guard, with Terry counting down the years until his inevitable retirement. The 34-year-old Chelsea captain signed a new one-year deal in the summer having played every minute of the victorious Premier League campaign last season 0 belying his age and proving a certain former Chelsea manager wrong after he was dropped from the Chelsea line-up in 2013/14.