MIDDLESBROUGH will switch their attention to alternative targets after Yannick Bolasie opted for a loan move to Aston Villa rather than a transfer to Teesside.

Boro officials remain hopeful of completing the temporary signing of Mo Besic ahead of the Football League loan deadline on August 31, but have been forced to admit defeat in their pursuit of Bolasie.

The Everton winger held discussions with Boro boss Tony Pulis and Villa manager Steve Bruce at the start of the week, and was left with a straight choice between the two Championship clubs.

He opted for Villa, who are also close to completing the signing of Lille wide-man Anwar El Ghazi, and returned to the Midlands club’s Boddymoor Heath training ground yesterday morning to undergo a medical and tie up the technicalities of his season-long switch.

Boro matched Villa’s financial offer to Everton, and with Tony Pulis having enjoyed a successful spell managing Bolasie during his time at Crystal Palace, the Boro hierarchy had hoped they would be able to persuade the 29-year-old to move to the North-East.

However, geographical factors are understood to have played a major role in Bolasie’s decision, with the winger having been keen to move closer to his long-term base in the South-East.

Like Boro, Villa were able to offer Bolasie a good chance of regular first-team football, having lost Robert Snodgrass since the end of last season.

The DR Congo international’s decision will be a major blow to Pulis, as the Boro boss identified him as a leading target at the start of the summer.

Boro tried to engineer a permanent transfer last month, only for Bolasie to refuse to drop into the Championship while there was still a chance of another Premier League club offering him a move.

Pulis argued forcefully for a loan deal, but will now have to switch his attentions elsewhere as he looks to secure a replacement for Adama Traore, who joined Wolves in an £18m switch earlier this summer.

Boro’s recruitment team have been scouting potential targets, although with the loan window due to close next Friday, time is now of the essence.

Had Bolasie agreed to join the Teessiders, Pulis would have been prepared to allow Marvin Johnson to leave on loan, with Sheffield United and Hull City both having lodged inquiries about the winger, who joined Boro from Oxford United for a fee of around £2.5m last summer.

Johnson has not really featured in Pulis’ Championship plans, but the Boro boss will put any move on hold until he has been able to bring in a signing of his own in the wide positions.

Besic is still expected to join Boro on a season-long loan, having returned to Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground over the weekend to conduct transfer talks.

The Bosnia international was close to completing a permanent move from Everton on the deadline-day for Premier League transfers, only for financial issues to cause discussions to collapse.

They have been successfully resurrected in the last week though, and Boro remain hopeful that Besic will re-join their squad after completing a successful loan spell in the second half of last season.