Jô, the Manchester City striker, is to stay with Everton on a season-long loan.

The Brazil forward, 22, spent four months of last season on loan at Goodison Park, where he scored five goals in 11 Barclays Premier League games and David Moyes, the Everton manager, was eager to bring the player back.

City remain determined to sign Joleon Lescott, the Everton defender, but that deal would have to be done independently of Jô, who has struggled to make an impression in Manchester since his move for £19 million from CSKA Moscow last summer.

Mark Hughes, the City manager, will monitor Jô’s progress next season but the forward does not figure in his long-term plans.

Decent bets

Hull City have confirmed that they have an agreement to sign Bobby Zamora, should Fulham be able to sign a replacement.

Zamora cost £6 million when he moved from West Ham United last summer, but he scored only two league goals last term. Hull have also made a £6 million offer for Fraizer Campbell, the Manchester United striker, and Marc-Antoine Fortuné, of Nancy.

Jean-Louis Triaud, the Bordeaux president, has claimed that Manchester United are close to signing Gabriel Obertan, the France Under-21 winger. “There is a very strong likelihood that the deal will go ahead,” Triaud said. “Manchester United want to sign him.”

Blackburn Rovers have expressed an interest in Grégory Cerdan, the Le Mans defender, who would cost £2.2 million. Blackburn are to open talks with David Dunn and Steven Reid, the midfield players, about new deals, as well as Morten Gamst Pedersen, the winger. Sporting Lisbon and Lazio have made an approach to sign Adel Taarabt, the Tottenham Hotspur midfield player, who would prefer to move to Málaga.

Dead certs

Yossi Benayoun, the Liverpool midfield player, has agreed a two-year extension to his contract and will now earn £70,000 a week.

Amr Zaki has claimed that Aston Villa offered £11 million to sign him from Zamalek last season while he was on loan at Wigan Athletic.

Ipswich Town have signed Lee Martin from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old winger has signed a four-year contract.

Long shots

Inter Milan claim to have pulled out of a proposed deal to sign Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, which is likely to be posturing in the hope that Chelsea reduce their £12 million valuation of the Portugal players. “At this time I don’t feel there’s a need to buy them,” Massimo Moratti, the Inter president, said.

Lucio, the Bayern Munich and Brazil defender, who has a year left on his contract, has been linked with Manchester City in case they cannot sign Lescott.

Tottenham are monitoring Craig Bellamy, the City forward, and have offered Luís Figo the chance to play on, the midfield player having retired after leaving Inter this summer.