Lescott latest

Stuart Brennan wrote in the M.E.N. yesterday that City - in tune with the wishes of TLDORC voters on the latest poll - are running out of patience with Everton's price tag on Lescott:

It now appears that a transfer request from Lescott would be the only way of breaking the deadlock with Everton, with City not budging from their second £19m bid and Everton saying £30m would not sway them from their position.

That is why City are already seeking alternatives and they are sticking to the plan which was drawn up at the start of the summer, when chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak, executive chairman Garry Cook and manager Mark Hughes drew up a shortlist of targets.

Today's News of the World, though, suggests that the deal-making transfer request from Lescott could well be imminent:

A formal written transfer request is already being prepared and is likely to be made this week. Everton dismissed a second bid worth £19m for the 26-year-old in midweek.

They are adamant they won't negotiate with City until Lescott goes public. Chairman Bill Kenwright is prepared to sit tight for as much as £30m for the defender.

But he knows a transfer request from Lescott will alter the landscape and force further negotiations with City. In those circumstances, a City bid of around £22m is likely to get Hughes his man.