Everton keen to recruit Rodrigo

Everton are ready to push through a deal for the Brazilian striker, Juliano Rodrigo, as Brian McBride's hopes of a transfer to Goodison Park fade.

Rodrigo has been to Austria with David Moyes' squad and has impressed the manager. Moyes is trying to cut through the red tape to see if he needs to pay a fee to Botafogo, the Rio de Janiero-based club Rodridgo left recently.

McBride, a success for the United States at the World Cup, wants to leave Columbus Crew and team up with Moyes, under whom he played in a brief spell at Preston. However, Major League Soccer, which holds the United States players' registrations, is holding out for a fee of around £1m for the 30-year-old.

Everton's hopes of signing Rustu Recber have been dashed after the Turkey goalkeeper ruled out a move. He has been persuaded to stay by his club, Fenerbahce, and by his wife, who is happy in Istanbul.

Benito Carbone will receive pleas from his Bradford City team-mates to take a cut-price pay-off amid fears about the club's future. The Italian striker is haggling over a severance deal.

Bradford have offered Carbone, who is on a £40,000-a-week contract, just £800,000 of the £3m-plus owed to him. David Wetherall, the club's PFA representative, has urged his colleagues, who are divided on the issue, to contact Carbone with requests to settle. If the matter is not resolved Bradford may not be able to get out of administration.

Carbone's advisers have put new proposals to the club and the PFA, but these have yet to be accepted and the huge financial hurdle is still to be crossed and could yet bring Bradford down.