Chelsea are set to step up their efforts to sign John Stones by launching a stunning £26million bid for the highly-rated Everton defender, according to Mail Sport.
Blues manager Jose Mourinho views Stones as the perfect long-term successor for club captain John Terry and his hopeful of tying up a deal in time for the youngster to be in the squad to face London rivals Arsenal in the Community Shield showdown at Wembley next Sunday.
The West London outfit have already seen one bid for the 21-year-old rejected by the Toffees earlier in the month and it remains to be seen whether the Merseyside outfit will be able to resist the temptation of such a good offer for a player they paid £3million for during the 2013 January transfer window [via BBC Sport].
Stones, who has already been capped for the England senior national team, has been tipped to have a bright future in the game will be looking force his way into manager Roy Hodgson’s starting XI at next summer’s European Championships.
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