Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has said that he will submit an improved bid for Everton defender John Stones after being slammed by Toffees counterpart Roberto Martinez.
The Premier League champions are said to have identified Stones as a long-term replacement for captain John Terry, with Everton rejecting a £20m this week.
Martinez pulled no punches in his assessment of the offer, but Mourinho says that his interest will only end when the Merseysiders make it clear that the 21-year-old is not for sale.
"We made a bid, we can make it - it's an open market until September 1," he told reporters. "At the moment they say we don't accept this bid – they don't say: 'We don't accept bids; any bids'.
"While they say we don't accept this bid, until September 1 we can improve the bid, one pound more, 10 pounds more, we can improve the bid.
"If one day Roberto Martinez or the chairman come and say he's not for sale, we don't accept any bid, it's game over. So during this process, it's clear, we don't deny we made a bid for Stones. It means we are trying to buy."
Stones is contracted to the club until 2019.
Shane Callaghan
