Liverpool track Pape Diakhate and Fernando Amorebieta

Liverpool's defensive frailty, which was on show yesterday during a 2-1 defeat by Spurs at White Hart Lane which also saw both Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel injured, has forced Rafa Benitez to look for more cover at the back, the Daily Mail claims. Top of his wishlist is Pape Diakhate of Dynamo Kiev, a 25-year-old Senegalese central defender who has already caught the eye of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Marseilles. The Ukraine club has slapped a price of £7m on Diakhate's head, which the Liverpool boss ought to still have left in the kitty after the transfer of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid...

Another defender interesting Benitez is Fernando Amorebieta of Athletic Bilbao, who the Spaniard sent scouts to watch playing in last night's Spanish version of the Community Shield, according to the Sun. The 6ft 3in stopper has been an Anfield target since the spring, as well as attracting interest from across the continent with his imposing physique and style of play, and would cost around £10m to bring in. The 24-year-old Spaniard is on the fringes of his national team and looks likely to become an international regular this season...

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes seems to be willing to become the bogeyman of British football, as he continues his chase for Everton defender Joleon Lescott despite rising levels of opprobrium being directed at the Eastlands club. the Times reveals. Lescott's manager David Moyes described City's attempts to prise the player away from Goodison Park as "disgusting" and destabilising, but Hughes is set to return with a new bid for the 27-year-old which is expected to be in excess of £20m. Lescott appeared distracted during Everton's 6-1 home defeat by Arsenal on Saturday, which could give Moyes a pretext for letting him finally leave the club...

The last possible big transfer of the summer looks to be off, as Franck Ribery conceded over the weekend that he was unlikely to leave Bayern Munich over the summer despite a Chelsea bid of £40m being on the table, the Daily Telegraph reports. The Frenchman told the press yesterday: "I can't stop clubs making offers for me, and it was not only Real. There was also Barcelona, Manchester [United] and Chelsea. What I can tell them is that I am still at Bayern today. The doors are truly shut. My directors really want me to stay." With two years left on his deal with Bayern, the German club have been able to value him at around the same amount that Real Madrid paid Man Utd for Cristiano Ronaldo, £80m, enough to even put off the Spanish giants... ·