AITOR KARANKA is confident Patrick Bamford’s loan deal from Chelsea will be extended to enable the in-form striker to remain at Middlesbrough until the end of the season.

As things stand, Bamford’s loan arrangement is due to expire on January 1, with the 21-year-old due to spend the second half of the campaign back at Stamford Bridge.

Karanka is keen to extend the deal to May, and having watched Bamford score two goals in his last two appearances, has informed the forward of his desire to retain his services.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is equally keen to see Bamford remain on Teesside, and Karanka expects a deal to be agreed within the next few weeks.

“I like Patrick a lot, and he knows that I want to keep him here,” said the Boro head coach. “He is the one that will have to say if he wants to stay here, but at this moment, I don’t think he has a single doubt about being here.

“I don’t think we are going to have any problems with extending his loan. Chelsea will have to agree to that as well of course, but I don’t think that will be an issue. He is here scoring goals, and his development is increasing, so I think everybody is happy.”

As well as retaining Bamford for the second half of the season, Karanka is determined to ensure the rest of his squad remains intact for the remainder of the ongoing promotion push.

With only goal difference keeping the Teessiders off the Championship summit, other clubs are beginning to take notice of some of Karanka’s players, and there is a strong chance of bids being lodged once the transfer window opens at the start of January.

Grant Leadbitter, who is Boro’s leading scorer with nine goals already this term, was the subject of a succession of failed bids from Nottingham Forest last season, and there was further interest in the midfielder from a variety of quarters this summer.

George Friend has also attracted top-flight attention in the past, but with Steve Gibson having provided strong financial backing to help propel Boro towards the top of the Championship table, Karanka is adamant he will not be losing anyone with promotion potentially lying within reach.

“I am sure that no one will be leaving unless I want them to,” he said. “I am sure that now, and for the future, I am going to have the players in my squad that I want.

“Obviously, if we receive an offer of £30m for one of our players, then we will have to sell that player. I am not stupid. But it is very important for me that I have a very good relationship with the club, and we will work together to make our decisions. In January, we will be working together to strengthen the squad, not to weaken it.”

While Boro are understood to be operating close to the limits of what is permitted under the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations, there is scope for some limited transfer activity in January if the situation demands it.

However, with Rhys Williams and Mustapha Carayol due to return at the turn of the year having missed the entire first half of the campaign, Karanka is unlikely to be overseeing major alterations when the transfer window reopens.

Unless there is a radical downturn in fortunes in the next few weeks, the Teessiders should still be in the promotion mix at the turn of the year, and they will find themselves at the top of the table for the first time in two years if they beat Bournemouth tomorrow.

Last time, their spell in top spot lasted less than 24 hours, but with an international break looming, they will be guaranteed to spend at least a fortnight on top of the pile if they claim their third win in succession against the Cherries.

Having been keen to keep a lid on expectations throughout the season, Karanka is predictably reluctant to get too carried away just because the top of the table is in reach. However, even the Spaniard has been forced to concede that there would be psychological benefits to rising to the head of affairs.

“It is always important to be in the highest position because then your confidence is better and the mood is improved,” he said. “This is a game with our direct rivals, and we are playing for the first position.

“It would be very good to win, but I always say the same, and that is that this league is very tight and very long. We will have to think about the game on Saturday, but after that game there are still a lot more games to go.

“It is very important though because we are at home and we are playing against a good team who I expect to be challenging for promotion right to the end.”

Albert Adomah is available for tomorrow’s game having recovered from the problem that forced him off during Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Norwich.