TOMAS KALAS flew out with the Middlesbrough squad for a week-long training camp in Spain yesterday and Aitor Karanka still hopes to have Stewart Downing join them there too.

Boro were in touch with the Hammers again looking to hear if there has been a breakthrough after Slaven Bilic edged closer to bringing in another forward, Matias Destro, from Roma.

And, having already bought Dimitri Payet from Marseille, another arrival would be the cue for West Ham to finally give the go-ahead for Downing’s return to the Riverside.

Sources in East London have suggested that Middlesbrough have offered £5m up front for the 30-year-old and they would pay a further £1m if promotion to the Premier League was secured. That has not been confirmed by the Teesside club, though.

Downing, who is yet to figure in pre-season under Bilic while the uncertainty has been ongoing, could travel over to Marbella to team up with the rest of the Middlesbrough squad if West Ham give the deal the green light sooner rather than later.

Middlesbrough - also closing in on £2.5m Uruguayan striker Christian Stuani from Espanyol - hope to play three games during their time on the Costa del Sol and two of those are believed to be pencilled in for the back end of the week.

Karanka has been given permission to get Kalas involved from Chelsea, who have allowed him to head back to the North-East for a season-long loan.

It is no surprise that the versatile Czech Republic defender was on board the flight because it emerged earlier this summer than an agreement with Stamford Bridge was already in place for the deal.

The 22-year-old, who has a successful three-month loan spell at the Riverside last season, was keen to come back to the club and he will now be in contention to start at right-back or centrally, particularly following the broken leg suffered by new recruit Alex Baptiste.

Middlesbrough have taken the strongest possible squad to Marbella and it has been bolstered by internationals Emilio Nsue, Albert Adomah and Mustapha Carayol after they were given extra time off.

But Karanka has also taken younger players Jonny Burn, Adam Jackson, Dael Fry, Lewis Maloney, Callum Cooke and Brad Fewster along with the rest of the first team squad to aid their development and strengthen the numbers he has to call on.