Report: Chelsea won't make 4th offer until John Stones submits transfer request

Chelsea will wait for an indication that John Stones is willing to leave Everton before making another bid for the defender.

Stones will have to submit a transfer request in order for Chelsea to submit a fourth bid, according to Matt Law of The Telegraph, after seeing its previous advances get turned down by the Merseyside club.

The defending Premier League champions saw its third bid, reportedly worth an Everton club-record £30 million, fall short Tuesday. The offer was an increase on Chelsea's previous failed bids of £20 million and £26 million.

Everton's valuation of the 21-year-old reportedly sits in the region of £40 million, a price Chelsea seem unwilling to pay if Stones doesn't show an eagerness to make Stamford Bridge his new home.

Law reports that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is "convinced" Stones will contribute immediately, which disputes claims the central defender will struggle for playing time with Gary Cahill, John Terry, and Kurt Zouma in the fold.

The report also notes that if Everton decides to finally accept a bid, 15 percent will go straight to Barnsley as part of the agreement the two sides reached when Stones joined The Toffees in 2013.