AIYEGBENI YAKUBU'S proposed summer move to Middlesbrough will herald a summer clear-out of striking talent on Teesside as manager Steve McClaren aims to boost his attacking options.

Boro have verbally agreed a deal, believed to be worth £6.5m, with both club and player for the transfer to take place at the end of the season.

Yakubu, with 15 goals for Portsmouth this season, is seen as the ideal man to challenge both Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka for a first-team shirt next season.

But the Portsmouth hit-man's arrival spells bad news for four of the club's other front-men, with McClaren keen to reduce the number of forwards he has at his disposal.

Including Yakubu, eight strikers will be on the books ahead of the new Premiership season and McClaren is looking to bring that down by at least two.

Joseph Job, Szilard Nemeth, Massimo Maccarone and Malcolm Christie are believed to be the quartet being put up for sale by the Boro boss in an attempt to strengthen his own hand in the transfer market.

All four have struggled to become regulars at the Riverside Stadium for one reason or another and it appears that if a buyer can be found they will be on their way.

Job has made his frustrations known on a couple of occasions this season by openly revealing his fears that the manager has 'no faith' in his ability.

And the Cameroon international, who was close to leaving last summer before committing to a two-year deal, would welcome a move away from the club after making just 62 starts in his five years on Teesside.

A return to France, where he has made a name for himself at RC Lens and Metz in the past, is one option, while there could also be interest from England, with Premiership new-boys Wigan on the look-out for fresh faces.

While Job, the scorer of one of Boro's goals in last season's historic Carling Cup success, has been facing up to the prospect of leaving for some time, the same cannot be said of Nemeth.

The Slovakian, the last signing made by former Boro boss Bryan Robson, is in less of a rush to leave and would have hoped his three goals in four starts would have gone some way to convincing his manager of his worth.

But Nemeth, despite impressive showings as a substitute, has always been on the periphery after less convincing performances when he has started and has often been used as a right-midfielder. McClaren is ready to offload the 27-year-old if a suitable buyer can be found.

Maccarone and Christie are in slightly different situations.

Maccarone, after a season of disappointment in English football last time around, has spent this campaign on loan in Italy with Parma and Siena in a bid to recapture the sort of form that persuaded McClaren to spend £8.15m on him.

Christie on the other hand has suffered one injury after another and, despite being well liked by his manager, is another player who could leave.

Boro have moved quickly to dismiss suggestions that highly-rated teenager Josh Walker will be departing.

Reports have claimed that the 16-year-old England youth international has turned down a professional contract offer from champions Chelsea in favour of sticking with his first club.

But Boro have scotched rumours that is the case and insist Walker is due to sign an academy scholarship with them in July.

Meanwhile, Sven-Goran Eriksson has told Boro winger Stewart Downing he could have an important part to play in next year's World Cup.

Downing made his England debut against Holland in February after being given a chance to shine following an outstanding first full season as a Premiership regular.

He has since been named in the squad for the qualifiers with Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland, while he has been hailed as a possible solution to the country's left-side problem for many months.

Eriksson said: "Stewart Downing could be ready for the World Cup. Before I picked Joe Cole and waited for him to be ready. Suddenly he has become ready, so you never know.

"The left-sided player does not have to be left-footed. It would be good to have a left-footer but there is a small percentage of them. You can dream about it but sometimes you don't find one."

Meanwhile, Eriksson has agreed to leave Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand out of England's post-season mini-tour to the United States after talks with Sir Alex Ferguson. Their absences could mean a first call-up for Southampton centre-forward Peter Crouch and a recall for Tottenham central midfielder Michael Carrick.

Eriksson's willingness to accede to a request from the Manchester United boss for teenager Rooney to be rested is likely to frustrate other club bosses, including Manchester City acting boss Stuart Pearce, who had called for Shaun Wright-Phillips to miss the tour after only just returning from injury.

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