Joleon Lescott will have to agitate for a move from Everton to Manchester City after officials at Goodison Park indicated a £15m offer would be dismissed out of hand for the England international.
The 26-year-old is Mark Hughes' main defensive transfer target this summer and Everton are braced for a £15m bid for a player they signed for £5m from Wolverhampton Wanderers three years ago. City are adamant they will not be held to ransom on any deals and believe they can entice Lescott to Eastlands by doubling his current wage to £80,000 a week.
Everton, however, view Glen Johnson's impending £17m transfer to Liverpool as evidence of an England defender's worth in this transfer market and value Lescott at closer to £20m.
David Moyes is determined not to sell his main assets and even a £20m offer, one that might include Micah Richards and/or Jo as part of the deal, will not alter his current stance. That puts the onus on Lescott to demand a move from Goodison for City to get their man, and the central defender was noncommittal when pressed on his Everton future following England's recent World Cup qualifier against Andorra.
Meanwhile, Phil Brown, the Hull City manager, has been fined £2,500 for improper conduct relating to comments made about Mike Riley after his side's FA Cup defeat at Arsenal in March.
Brown had accused Riley of a "disgraceful" performance and of being influenced by the Arsenal fans. "We've not been beaten by Arsenal; we've been beaten by the referee and the linesman," he said. Brown had denied the charge. But it was found proven at a Football Association hearing today. He was also warned about his future conduct. The match was one of the most controversial of last season: Hull accused Cesc Fábregas of spitting at their assistant manager, Brian Horton, although the Arsenal captain was later cleared .
Sulamain Al Fahim, the prospective purchaser of Portsmouth, has moved to distance himself from reports that he will definitely attend the AGM of the London branch of the official supporters club on 11 July because he still may not be the owner by then.