JOHN STONES: Is he really worth £40m or should Chelsea look elsewhere?

Chelsea have now had three bids rejected by Everton valued at around £20m, £26m and £30m and there are reports that a £40m offer will follow. Is he really worth that much or are there viable alternatives?

This is the problem clubs like Chelsea face these days and why clubs such as Everton want to hold onto players that they see as their future. No matter who the player is, Chelsea will be quoted an extortionate amount simply because they are who they are. No player in the world is worth £40m and it's just crazy talk!

Signed by the Toffee's for just £3m in 2013 from Barnsley, Stones has come to the fore in recent seasons and is now part and parcel of their first team with Silvan Distin released last summer.

I will be honest and admit that I have not seen much of Stones last season or at the beginning of this term but am told by a reliable source that he was outstanding against Southampton last weekend.

So what of Chelsea's interest and the three reported bids made and subsequently turned down? Well it's obvious that we need cover at centre back and judging by the performance in the first half against Manchester City with the continued fall-out and speculation that surrounds John Terry right now, Stones seems to be Jose Mourinho's preferred target.

You do have to question that though with Kurt Zouma waiting patiently in the wings but it's obvious that the boss is looking to the future, looking to build a long term partnership to become the corner stone the rest of the team builds upon.

As I said £40m is a huge and ridiculous amount of money to pay for someone who will not feature regularly in Chelsea's starting eleven despite the speculation. Is there anyone else out there that could be considered instead for less money? What about Ryan Shawcross?

I can understand the mentality of going after John Stones. Firstly, his is English and would bolster the numbers within our squad counted as home-grown players and secondly, Jose Mourinho has always stated that his defence should be primarily British players.

What do you people think of the £40m potential bid? It's being reported that Chelsea are now waiting for a reaction from Stones to their latest £30m bid being rejected yesterday by Everton. There are reports that the player could make his intentions to leave Goodison Park clear, thus forcing a move to Chelsea.  

Definately a player for the future and you could see working with JT, Cahill and Jose Mourinho, that he could become one hell of a player but I am not 100% certain.

Are you?