Moyes fumes as City close in on Lescott

Everton manager David Moyes took a final swipe at Manchester City as England defender Joleon Lescott moved closer to joining the Eastlands club.

Moyes is set to concede defeat in his bid to keep Lescott at Goodison Park after it emerged on Sunday that the Toffees centre-back is expected to undergo a medical with City on Monday.

It is believed City have finally come up with a deal which meets Everton’s valuation of Lescott.

Having rejected two previous City offers, Everton are reported to have accepted a 24 million pounds (27.6 million euros) bid.

But Moyes, who has already criticised City several times for unsettling Lescott, is unhappy that the Eastlands club were not prepared to pay what he thought was the going rate from the outset.

Asked after his side’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley on Sunday if the Lescott deal was well advanced Moyes said: “If they (City) say they are quite far on I’m sure they are.

“But we shouldn’t have been asked to wait this length of time for an amount of cash we think was the correct value for the player.

“Real Madrid came in with the money to buy Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United the week after the end of the season.

“If the money had been offered in June it would have been a lot easier for us. The time is against us (to find a replacement).”