It's been apparent for some time now that Moutinho, Sporting Lisbon's 22-year-old captain, is David Moyes' number one summer transfer target and the Blues have actually tabled an opening bid with the Portuguese club.
And Sporting appear to be in no mood to negotiate as their president Filipe Soares Franco, has now gone on the record to say that he is optimistic that his club's star player is going nowhere.
Franco said: "He is a Sporting player and that's it. There's been plenty of rumours this summer and an offer was made, but we rejected it because it wasn't interesting for the club."
Adding: "With Moutinho in our team we have a great squad with many chances to win the league"
Whilst that is not an out-and-out declaration that the player is not for sale, his comments seem to be borne of optimism rather than defiance, it looks like Everton are going to have to meet Sporting's valuation of £22 million if they are to have Moutinho at Goodison next season.
Which is now just 11 days away!
Another supposed Everton target, Cameroon international Stephane M'Bia, has seemingly ruled himself out of a move away from Rennes.
M'Bia is one of those huge African grocks, the sort that Portsmouth appear to field 11 of every time they come to Goodison, and his solid performances at the heart of the Rennes midfield have attracted the attention of both Everton and Sevilla.
But the player himself has insisted that he intends to stay at the French club for another season at the very least saying: "Listen, all the world knows that Everton and Sevilla are after me. But I have a contract with Rennes and I do understand that Rennes want to keep me."
He added: "My contract with the club expires in June 2010, however, I am staying this year because I have a good relationship with Rennes."
So he's staying at Rennes out of a sense of loyalty and not because he'll have just one year on his current contract come next summer and will be able to negotiate bigger signing on fee as Rennes will have to accept a low offer else lose him for nothing when his deal ends?
Don't you just love footballers?!
The situation is now becoming desperate at Everton and even the most hardened optimists will be knocked sideways, or maybe even backwards, by this latest disappointment in the transfer market.
And we appear to be just as bad at releasing players as we are at signing them as Andy Johnson still hasn't finalised his move to Fulham, despite Everton giving them a deadline to sign the striker.
And Moyes still hasn't committed to a new deal at the club either!
The good news though, is that Everton have appointed a stand-in CEO to oversee these non-existent contract talks as former deputy CEO and weird Roger Daltrey lookalike, Robert Elsmore (soon to be Robert 'Fuck off' Elsmore) has stepped into the sizeable void left by Keith Wyness.
And his first duty as CEO was to pick up cuddly Keith's old script and tell us all how important a move to Kirkby is for the club, as if to let us know that it's still at the front of everyone's mind.
But I'd suggest that, right now, no-one really cares where we play our football, the pressing concern is just who's going to be playing our football for us come the opening day of the season!
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