Sporting reject Everton bid

Sporting Lisbon claim they have rejected a bid from Everton for midfielder Joao Moutinho worth £11.8m and have warned they want £20m.

The Portuguese midfielder is high on the list of targets for David Moyes but he is going to have to increase his bid considerably if he is to land his man.

Lisbon were also said to be unhappy with the terms of payment that Everton wanted to adopt with the money spread over three installments.

Moutinho made his position clear at the weekend when he said he wanted to join the club but Sporting issued a response, part of which read: "The FIFA agent Pini Zahavi, with a letter of representation issued by Everton, visited the headquarters of the society and transmitted that the English club offered 15 million euros (£11.8 m) for the acquisition of the sporting rights of the player Joao Moutinho, with the figure eventually adding an amount not yet determined if Everton qualify for the Champions League.

"The proposal was rejected outright and it was told to Mr Pini Zahavi, who acted in the dual capacity as representative of the player and Everton, it was not the intention of Sporting to transfer the player."