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.
Asked if he expected Kone to stay, the Scot said: "He's got a four-year contract, he's six months into it, so there's no real panic.
"He's a good boy, I have enjoyed working with him the time that I've been here, so we hope that he does [stay].
We hope that he sees we want him to be here.
"Obviously, we have got an offer from Everton, and he knows that as well."
Kone asked to leave the club last week, claiming the Black Cats had not honoured a verbal offer of an improved deal following his contribution to last season's successful Premier League survival campaign, and was told the club would keep its word after the transfer window had closed.
However, they made their move earlier this week, only to be met by stony silence.
Moyes said: "I don't know if he's actually refused it, he just didn't want it. We gave him the offer and he didn't really want the offer.
"We had said that we would do it on Sept. 1, but we thought we'd bring it forward just to give him the feeling of the security that he's got it. But he's chosen not to want it."
Kaboul's situation is more straightforward, although no less unsettling for fans who fear the dismantling of the foundation upon which the club's improved form was built.
Moyes said: "We got an enquiry from Watford and when we did, Younes also came and saw me and said if this was right, he would like to go back to Watford.
"He wanted to go back - his family home is there and his choice would be to go back - so reluctantly, we agreed to it."
Moyes will hand a debut to summer signing Papy Djilobodji, but will also be without combative midfielder Lee Cattermole against his first club and for the foreseeable future after he underwent surgery to repair a double hernia, and he is likely to be out of action for up to six weeks.
However, there will be one new face in the squad with former Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, who played under Moyes at Goodison Park, having signed a one-year contract after impressing during a trial on Wearside.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough have received a timely boost ahead of the match as centre-back Daniel Ayala could make an unexpected return to contention.
Ayala, 25, did not feature in any of Boro's pre-season friendlies due to an ankle injury that kept him out of the 1-1 home draw against Stoke on the opening day and boss Aitor Karanka was forced to play Antonio Barragan, bought in the summer from Valencia primarily as a right-back, in central defence.
Moyes said: "I don't know if he's actually refused it, he just didn't want it. We gave him the offer and he didn't really want the offer.
"We had said that we would do it on Sept. 1, but we thought we'd bring it forward just to give him the feeling of the security that he's got it. But he's chosen not to want it."
Kaboul's situation is more straightforward, although no less unsettling for fans who fear the dismantling of the foundation upon which the club's improved form was built.
Moyes said: "We got an enquiry from Watford and when we did, Younes also came and saw me and said if this was right, he would like to go back to Watford.
"He wanted to go back - his family home is there and his choice would be to go back - so reluctantly, we agreed to it."
Moyes will hand a debut to summer signing Papy Djilobodji, but will also be without combative midfielder Lee Cattermole against his first club and for the foreseeable future after he underwent surgery to repair a double hernia, and he is likely to be out of action for up to six weeks.
However, there will be one new face in the squad with former Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, who played under Moyes at Goodison Park, having signed a one-year contract after impressing during a trial on Wearside.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough have received a timely boost ahead of the match as centre-back Daniel Ayala could make an unexpected return to contention.
Ayala, 25, did not feature in any of Boro's pre-season friendlies due to an ankle injury that kept him out of the 1-1 home draw against Stoke on the opening day and boss Aitor Karanka was forced to play Antonio Barragan, bought in the summer from Valencia primarily as a right-back, in central defence.
Karanka is actively looking to bring in a new central defender and Boro have failed with a recent bid for Hull's Harry Maguire, but Ayala has returned to full training and Karanka confirmed the Spaniard is available for selection.
"He has been training with us for the last two or three weeks, and he played 45 minutes and was working last week with the under-21s,'' Karanka said.
"That's good news because he is a player that I can now add to the squad. Everyone knows how important Dani is for the team.
"He's been training and playing, so it is my decision (about whether to start him) now.''
Barragan was one of four summer signings to make their Boro debuts against Stoke alongside goalkeeper Victor Valdes, midfielder Marten de Roon and striker Alvaro Negredo, while Karanka was also impressed with those players who helped the club climb out of the Sky Bet Championship last season.
"Last week was good because some players showed they are better than I thought,'' Karanka said.
"It was a pleasant surprise as I knew how good they are and were in the past, and working since the beginning of pre-season has been good. We're looking forward to Sunday.''
Boro have only won one of their last seven meetings with Sunderland, but that was in their most recent encounter in October 2012 when they beat them 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in the League Cup.
Karanka acknowledged Sunday's Wear-Tees derby was hugely important for the clubs' fans but would be approached in exactly the same way as any other league game.
"It's a derby, but it's three points for us, and we don't have a lot of experience in these games,'' he said.
"We don't have experience in the Premier League either, but as players and coaches we've played them, and we know there's something more.
"Everyone is ready and looking forward to the game. I don't think we and the rest of the teams are 100 per cent and the most important thing at this stage is points.
"It's a derby and for that reason it's important. It's the mentality I have to transmit to the players as we have another game the following Sunday - so we need to keep adding points.''
Karanka confirmed captain Grant Leadbitter remains sidelined following his hernia operation earlier this summer and that fellow midfielder De Roon would be out for two weeks due to the hamstring injury sustained on his league debut against Stoke.
Their absence could mean a Premier League start for Adam Forshaw, five years after appearing for Everton as a substitute in his only other top-flight appearance.
Otherwise, apart from the possible addition of Ayala, Karanka will be selecting from the same squad as Boro look to inflict a second straight defeat on Sunderland's new manager Moyes.