Chelsea's poor start to the new campaign has caused them to up their interest in Everton's John Stones, with reports suggesting they could be set to make a third bid for the defender.
A 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City has been met by Chelsea submitting a bid worth up to £30 million, according to The Guardian. Everton are unlikely to accept the bid for their star defender, who has a huge future with England. The Champions have already had two bids of more than £20m rejected by the Merseyside club.
If the Blues' third bid is rejected and a fourth is placed, the fee could break the British transfer record for a defender set by Eliaquim Mangala's move to Manchester City. Whether the England international is worth a record fee remains in doubt but the West London club will need to pay big money to make him part of their side.
Chelsea's backline has struggled in their two opening fixtures, conceding five times. The defence was the best in the top flight last season and has started the title defence very poor indeed, causing Jose Mourinho to bring in competition. Baba Rahman has been brought in from FC Augsburg and Stones is next on Mourinho's wishlist.
Will he break into the starting line-up?
Stones is looked at as the ideal replacement for Chelsea legend John Terry, who is 35 and nearing the end of a storied career. The former-Barnsley man would see plenty of action at Chelsea, rotating with Terry, Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma, with the idea of being part of a future partnership of alongside Zouma.
The below-par performances of Chelsea's defence so far have proved Stones has the chance to earn a starting place if the move was to go through. Chelsea refuse to give up on the 21-year old with Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich both keen to bring in new faces in order to kick-start the new campaign.