Defiant Sunderland boss David Moyes is refusing to admit defeat in his battle to keep hold of Lamine Kone.
On a day when Kone's central defensive partner Younes Kaboul headed for a medical at Watford, after the two clubs agreed a fee in the region of £3.5 million, Moyes revealed that the Ivory Coast international did not appear to want the new contract offer the club made to him earlier this week.
However, despite having to rule the player out of Sunday's derby clash with Middlesbrough after he arrived for training and reported a back injury, Moyes is still hoping to retain his services despite Everton having tabled an offer for him.