Chelsea in for Paul Pogba as John Stones stays put at Everton

Chelsea's plans to take John Stones to Stamford Bridge appear to have failed.

According to The Independent, Everton have declined another bid of £38m for the defender, leaving Chelsea accepting that their pursuit of Stones appears to be over - for now. Everton also rejected John Stones' transfer request, which was submitted on Tuesday, leaving Chelsea to look at alternative options. The same report also suggests Jose Mourinho will look to bolster his midfield by spending the remaining days of the transfer window trying to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. The Frenchman was widely expected to leave Turin this summer, with many suggesting a move to Spain was more likely. However, with Real Madrid yet to make a move and Barcelona's transfer embargo making things complicated for the Catalan club, there is a slim chance that Chelsea could sign Pogba before next week's deadline. Persuading Juventus to part with Pogba would take a huge bid, but with an extra £38m burning a hole in Roman Abramovich's pocket, there might well be plenty of money to throw at this deal in order to get the former Manchester United man to Stamford Bridge.