Chelsea are ready to pay over the odds to sign Everton defender John Stones. The West London club are considering making a final bid in the region of £40m (crazy! madness!) for Stones, after their recent £30m bid been rejected by the Merseyside club. 

Everton have maintained their stance throughout the summer that the England international will not be sold. But can they resist the temptations if Chelsea produce an offer which would make Stones the expensive defender in English football, remains to be seen. In that case, Chelsea would have doubled their original valuation of the centre-back, which goes on to show how inflated the market is at the moment. 

Roberto Martinez has refused to deny claims that Stones is attracted by the possibility of moving to Stamford Bridge, but The Guardian understands, that Stones has not agitated for a move. 

Chelsea have recently added Abdul Baba Rahman to their ranks, but Jose Mourinho is still looking to sign a solid centre-back in the summer. Stones is seen as a long term replacement of skipper John Terry and someone who would straightaway get into the first team. 

Both John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic has endured a difficult start to the season, with the captain being substituted by his manager on Sunday as the Champions were humiliated 3-0 by Manchester City. 

Manchester United are also reportedly interested in signing Stones, but unlike Chelsea, the Red Devils have yet to lodge any formal bid for the England defender.

Having missed out on Sergio Ramos, who signed a new contract with Real Madrid, and possibly Nicolas Otamendi, who is close to joining Manchester City, United may look to reinforce their defensive options by making a formal move for Stones.