Soccer: Everton feel heat as cash keeps dangling

It's the battle for two England defenders, with Manchester City's bid for Chelsea's John Terry stalled and the effort to prise Joleon Lescott loose from Everton going public, with Everton formally rejecting a £15 million bid from Manchester City.

The Merseyside club's defiance will only be fuelled by City executive chairman Garry Cook talking publicly about manager Mark Hughes' admiration for the 26-year-old as part of Manchester City's league-leading spending spree.

Everton are desperate to hang on to their top players, having reached the FA Cup final last season and managed a second-successive fifth-placed Premier League finish. But they cannot begin to compete with City's financial muscle and boss David Moyes will hope to continue his seven years of painstaking progress at the club.

Cook was questioned about Lescott in Abu Dhabi on Friday en route to South Africa for the club's pre-season tour, and rather than opt not to comment, he said: "Mark loves the player ... he is a great player and Mark has always talked about investing in young, international talent."

Everton responded to the bid: "As a club, we have publicly stated - as recently as Wednesday night - that we do not intend selling any players. David Moyes' primary focus is on building a squad so that we can continue to compete effectively in what is the most competitive league in world football."

Cook's declared interest in Lescott is in sharp contrast to boss Mark Hughes' comments that "people can see we are trying to do our business in the correct manner and the polite way; we're not trying to shout from the rooftops and throwing our resources in people's faces".

Everton know that this is only the first skirmish in what could be a lengthy battle they do not have the resources to win. Lescott, who lives in the Manchester area, is believed to be interested in a move to a club with such vast wealth and ambitions.

Although Everton have just announced record turnover approaching £80m for the recently completed season, they do have a growing debt with Kenwright making it plain that the only way they can compete with the giants of the game is to acquire major outside investment.

City will certainly be back with an increased bid, and an offer of wages for Lescott that are believed to treble his Everton deal. A bid of over £20m will test Moyes' resolve to the limit, giving him a £15m profit on the £5m he paid Wolves for the Birmingham-born defender in June 2006.

City, who have spent over £50m on Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry already this summer, want to pair Lescott with Chelsea and England skipper John Terry in their defence.

Meanwhile new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti doesn't believe he needs to be looking for a new captain. No matter what Manchester City offers, Ancelotti doesn't see defender John Terry going anywhere.

"I am sure he will remain in Chelsea," Ancelotti said on Friday as the Blues practised ahead of their friendly against the Seattle Sounders. "I am sure, 100 per cent. He has a contract for three years more and this is the situation now."

Despite constant denials by Chelsea that it would ever agree to the transfer, the question has lingered because of Terry's refusal to comment on the situation. Going with the team on its four-match tour of the United States was a strong indication that Terry was committed to remaining with the only club he's ever played for. Perhaps as an added acknowledgment, Terry was the first player on the field as the Blues held an open practice before a few thousand fans at Qwest Field.

"He's the same captain he was three months ago, five months ago, one year ago, five years ago, so I don't see any difference," Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said.

Asked if Terry needed to address the situation with his teammates, Cech said it wasn't needed.

"I don't have to ask him because I can see with my eyes that he is committed," Cech said.

As part of its offseason makeover, Manchester City has already made two offers for Terry, both of which were quickly turned down by Chelsea management. Manchester City acquired Carlos Tevez from Manchester United, added Brazil's Robinho, who joined for a British-record fee of $61.7 million last September, and obtained Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn.

They also made a record bid last year for Brazilian star Kaka, part of an increased financial commitment since the club was bought last year by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

"For me, now, Terry is the captain of this club," said Ancelotti, about to begin his first season after coming from AC Milan. "He shall remain the captain of this team."