Chelsea enlist help of Gary Cahill as tapping up of John Stones continues

For a club that insists it is behaving correctly Chelsea don't half like talking about players at other clubs.

Jose Mourinho has repeatedly spoken about John Stones over the past week, insisting Everton have not told him he is definitely not for sale after an initial £20m bid was rejected.

From the outside it looks like a very deliberate tactic to unsettle Stones via the media and encourage him to push for a move, something that would instantly weaken Everton's bargaining position and lower his price.

If that wasn't bad enough, Mourinho has now got his players talking about Stones and a potential transfer to west London.

In an interview conducted while on the club's pre-season tour of America, Gary Cahill has brazenly told Stones to move to Chelsea for the good of his career, saying it is an opportunity he cannot turn down.

"Are Chelsea a hard club to turn down? Yes of course. In terms of ambition, if you’re a young player in the game, have played in the Premier League like he did a lot last year, and a big club come calling, it’s very difficult to turn down because you want to achieve the most you can in the short period you have in your career as a professional footballer.

"When a top club comes calling, who you know will be firing on all fronts with competitions and medals, that’s ultimately what you want to be playing for. It’s hard to turn down of course.

"He will look at the club, look at the players, and look at being involved in a squad like ours. When Chelsea came calling for me, it was an opportunity, it was a chance and looking from the outset you may not be sure how it’s going to go. But it’s one you can’t turn down; you have to grab it with both hands. Then you have to work as hard as you can to make it work."

The comments are sure to infuriate Everton still further, given they already feel Chelsea's behaviour is unacceptable. A manager talking about a transfer target is bad enough, but enlisting the help of a player to do so too is outrageous.

Chelsea's media campaign highlights just how much they want to sign the defender but I hope this only makes Everton stronger in their determination not to sell.

I also hope Stones' heads isn't turned by Chelsea's words, because if he does decide he wants to leave there will be little Everton can do unless they want un unhappy player on their books.

Either way the whole ugly saga is certain to leave a sour taste and considerably damage Everton's relationship with the Stamford Bridge club.