Chelsea has had setbacks in the pursuit of John Stones but the Stamford Bridge club is determined to finally land him with their latest offer.

The Blues' earlier bids of £20 million, £26 million, and £30 million for the 21-year-old have been sent back by Everton each time. The Toffees claim the young denfender isn't for sale. Although, recent reports have noted that their stance might not be as firm as it once was.

According to The Guardian, representatives from Chelsea are to go back to Everton prepared with a rumored £40 million offer sheet for Stones. This latest development came after the 21-year-old handed over a transfer request to Everton management. This is to be Chelsea's last swoop for the England international.

If a deal does materialize involving anywhere north of £30 million, it would be the new English Premier League signing record for an English defender. Man-U currently holds that distinction. The Old Trafford squad paid Leeds United £29.1 million to acquire Rio Ferdinand back in 2002.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez was quick to brush off the report. He said the transfer request would not change the Toffees' stance on keeping Stones, The Telegraph reported.

Everton management has yet to formally respond to Stones' transfer request although the manager's stance has alluded to the request being eventually denied. However, only time will tell if that would be the case as a potential £40 million buy-out for the young defender is still a very tempting option for the hard-pressed Toffees.

Amid the transfer talks, Stones had a solid showing during Everton's home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. He is expected to suit up against his former club Barnsley at Oakwell in the Capital One Cup second round on Wednesday evening.

Stones is also set to join the England squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland this coming September.

As for Chelsea, it was previously reported that owner Roman Abramovich has given Jose Mourinho the green light to sign at least three new players to the squad.

According to Mirror UK, the decision came after Manchester City gave Chelsea a beat-down during Sunday's 3-0.

To recall, the Blues' have since signed to the squad Pedro Rodriguez from Barca for £21 million and Baba Rahman from Ausburg for £21.7 million.

The potential John Stones signing would presumably be the defending Premier League champions' last blockbuster pursuit before the transfer window closes on Sept. 1.