Lescott pleads to move to Manchester City

Manchester City say they will call a halt to their pursuit of Everton defender Joleon Lescott if they cannot sign him by the end of the week, the Sun is reporting. City manager Mark Hughes hopes to pair Lescott with his new signing Kolo Toure but his latest offer of £18m has been rejected.

Lescott met with Everton boss David Moyes yesterday and told him that he wanted to go to Eastlands. The defender now risks a backlash from supporters as so far there have been no guarantees from chairman Bill Kenwright that he will allow Lescott to leave Goodison Park...

Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani is set to join Liverpool as soon as Xabi Alonso's move to Real Madrid is finalised, says the Daily Mirror. An £18m agreement is understood to have been reached for the 25-year-old Roma player, who is recovering from ankle surgery...

Meanwhile Aston Villa expect to conclude the signing of Fabian Delph today after agreeing a deal with Leeds United worth up to £7.5 million last night, according to the Times. The Leeds players' player of the year will become Villa's second summer signing after Stewart Downing arrived from Middlesbrough for £12m... ·