EVERTON FC have rejected a bid from npower Championship side Leicester City to sign striker Jermaine Beckford.

The Foxes made an official approach yesterday after manager Sven-Goran Eriksson pinpointed Beckford to bolster his strikeforce having been foiled in his attempts to capture LA Galaxy-bound Robbie Keane.

Everton FC instantly dismissed the offer for the 27-year-old, which would have only have reached the reported £3million value had a significant number of clauses been met.

Ambitious Leicester have their sights firmly set on promotion to the top flight this season but were beaten at home by Reading at the weekend.

Despite the initial knockback, the Midlanders are expected to return to Everton with an improved offer in the coming days for Beckford.

Having spent his entire career in the lower divisions, Beckford made the step up to the Premier League last summer by making a free transfer move to Goodison from Leeds United.

Along with Louis Saha, the forward was the joint top scorer for Everton last season with 10 goals in 38 appearances, only 17 of which were starts.

Beckford, however, is likely to find himself on the bench for Saturday’s belated Barclays Premier League opener at home to Queens Park Rangers with a fit-again Saha the preferred choice of Moyes.

Nottingham Forest are also keeping tabs on Beckford’s situation, with the Championship side also contemplating a move for Yakubu, who scored for Everton’s reserves yesterday afternoon in a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

Moyes would be happy to move on Yakubu and his fellow Nigerian Joseph Yobo, also a starter for the second-string, to free up funds for new faces with just a fortnight to go before the transfer window closes.

Everton completed their extended pre-season on Monday night with a 1-1 friendly draw at League of Ireland outfit Bohemians in Dublin.

And skipper Phil Neville believes the postponement of the scheduled clash at Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday could prove a blessing in disguise.

“We are all ready for the start of the season,” he said.

“We were all frustrated when the game got cancelled on Saturday, now the real stuff starts.

“You never know, God works in mysterious ways and it gave two or three lads extra minutes on the pitch.

“Now we are looking forward to QPR.

“The talking is over.

“Let’s just get on with playing football.”

Mikel Arteta made a return from a foot injury, and Neville added: “It was good to see Mikel back playing.

“He looks fit and looks strong and I think he’s ready for the start of the season.

“It’s always difficult when you miss part of pre-season but he has come back this week and worked really hard.

“It was a decent workout, and with the game being called off on Saturday it was important to get some match practice under our belts, you can’t be short going into the new season.”