GEREMI issued a chilling warning last night when he confessed he will not decide whether to commit his future to Middlesbrough until next summer, leaving open the possibility of another club luring him away at the end of the season.

After a fantastic display against Manchester City that provided further evidence of the shrewdness of his loan signing, Geremi admitted he does not yet know if he will make his move a permanent one.

Middlesbrough have already paid Real Madrid £1.2m for the Cameroon midfielder's services this season and it is likely to cost Boro around £4m to tie him to a long-term deal.

But Geremi's performances are certain to alert a host of leading clubs around Europe, and indeed Chelsea would have signed him for £7.7m after the World Cup, only for their financial problems to prevent them completing the deal.

Geremi, 23, said: "I've not yet thought about next season; I'll think about it at the end of the season. We'll see what happens before then.

"I'm going to leave the whole situation until the season finishes, then we'll sit down and talk about it."

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren is happy to wait until the summer to try to conclude a permanent deal for Geremi.

McClaren said: "I've not yet thought about what Geremi might cost. We've only played 15 Premiership games and there's a long way to go in this season.

"We have to make sure we keep playing well and putting in performances like the one on Saturday. Geremi knows that and he's enjoying his football.

"We also have to consider Geremi and what his feelings are. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

"At the moment, we're just pleased with how it's going. We haven't had any contact with Real Madrid since the summer.

"Geremi was tremendous against City. Our midfield has good legs, energy and ability, and nobody epitomises that more than Geremi.

"We have to make sure he falls in love with the place, and he also has to contribute to that and play well. At the moment, we're succeeding on both counts."

After spending much of last season sitting in the Bernebau stands as Real won the Champions League, Geremi is relishing the opportunity to play every week.

He has consigned his miserable last 12 months in Madrid to the past, preferring instead to discuss Middlesbrough's impressive start to this season that has exceeded his expectations.

Geremi admitted: "When I came to Middlesbrough, I didn't think things would go this well for me or for the team.

"The main reason I came here was to play football and to enjoy football again. I don't want to talk about last year at Real Madrid.

"Things are going very well for us and it helps that we're playing well, but I've settled in very well here anyway.

"I have a very good relationship with the fans and English football suits me.

"The boss is telling us we're a big team now and that we can beat the big teams in this division.

"I've been impressed by Steve McClaren and by Middlesbrough as a club. Steve is a great coach and it's down to him that we're a big team now."

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