Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have been told Everton defender Joleon Lescott is not for sale (Daily Mirror). Lescott has doubled in value since his £5m move from Wolves but David Moyes insists he’ll see out the remaining two years of his Goodison contract. Watch this space when the first £10m bid comes in.

Cheer up Gareth Southgate. OK, so Mido’s turned into Lardo, sulky Stewart Downing can’t wait to escape and Jonathan Woodgate’s gone to Spurs. But just when you thought nobody in their right mind would want to join Middlesbrough, the longest saga of the transfer window should end today with Brazil striker Alfonso Alves arriving at the Riverside for £12m (The Sun).

Alvez, 24, plays for Dutch side Heerenveen but had an agreement to join AZ Alkmaar which was complicating any move to the Premier League. But Boro chief executive Keith Lamb said: “There’s every chance we’ll conclude the deal within the next 24 hours.”

As for Downing – who set up the winner against Wigan last night and played a blinder – Southgate said: "There has been no written bid from Tottenham and even if there had been, he is not a player I am prepared to lose."

Sunderland want to poach Charlton midfield maestro Andy Reid for £2.5m (Daily Mail). Someone might mention to Roy Keane that his fellow Irishman was crocked most of last season and has been out again since December with knee trouble. And he was Teletubby-esque back then.

Portsmouth are closing in on £7m Spider Man (The Sun). Real Mallorca winger Jonas Gutierrez is famed for his wacky goal celebrations where he whips on a Spidey mask and shoots pretend webs at the crowd.