Everton director Jon Woods has reiterated the club's stance by insisting that defender John Stones will not be sold before the transfer deadline on September 1.
Chelsea have been in hot pursuit of the England international, who is a regular starter for the Merseyside outfit.
Three bids are said to have come in from Jose Mourinho, but Everton have held firm and rejected all of them - the latest thought to be in the region of £30m.
The reigning Premier League champions are reportedly lining up an improved offer of around £40m, but during the Toffees' 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, Woods claimed that he nor chairman Bill Kenwright have the desire to sell the 21-year-old.
"I won't sell him, Bill won't sell him, because there aren't many days to go," The Guardian quotes Woods as saying.
Stones signed for Everton in 2013 from Barnsley.
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Danielle Joynson
