MIDDLESBROUGH are weighing up a fresh bid for Ross McCormack this week after having an initial offer knocked back for the Fulham striker.

As revealed in The Northern Echo earlier this month, McCormack has been identified as Aitor Karanka’s top transfer target this month and there have been top level discussions between Craven Cottage and Riverside Stadium officials.

An initial offer is understood to have been knocked back recently, but Boro are contemplating a further offer of in the region of £8m.

Fulham are in no mood to sell McCormack, who has been on Boro's radar for a number of years, even though a sale would help them at a time when they are under a strict transfer embargo.

But the Cottagers, who have recently appointed Slavisa Jokanovic as their head coach, feel cashing in would only harm them because they could not go and reinvest the money in the squad.

Boro have shown in previous pursuits of McCormack and Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes that they will not pay over the odds to get a deal done – and that is likely to be the case once more.

Further discussions with Fulham are expected as Boro try to give McCormack the opportunity to head to Teesside to give Karanka’s squad a massive push in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Highly-rated former Championship boss former Ian Holloway, a pundit for Sky Sports, feels Boro could start to plan for the Premier League if they could strike a deal for the Scotland striker.

Holloway said: “I’m sure Karanka is aware of not upsetting the squad too much by bringing people in, but if they signed someone like Ross McCormack then promotion would be all but guaranteed. He would lift that squad and could play anywhere in that frontline.”

McCormack has scored 15 goals this season, in a Fulham side unable to break into the top half of the Championship.

Karanka has already brought in striker Kike Sola from Athletic Bilbao and he is on the verge of landing Benfica centre-back Victor Lindelof.

The 21-year-old, who featured for Sweden in the Euro Under-21s Championships last summer, is due in the North-East to finalise a loan move until the end of the season with a view to a permanent switch in the summer.

Lindelof can play in midfield and provide cover in defence, where Boro hope Ben Gibson will recover from a muscle problem ahead of Saturday’s visit of Nottingham Forest to the Riverside.

Gibson has missed the last two games but it is thought he was rested more as a precautionary measure. Karanka does not want to take an unnecessary risk on a player who has become a key part of the side’s success in the last two seasons.

Boro, meanwhile, could find themselves stuck in a dispute between controversial Leeds United chairman Massimo Cellino and the Football League next month.

Sky Sports are attempting to rearrange Boro’s trip to Elland Road on Saturday, February 13 to Monday, February 15. Cellino is understood to be weighing up his options.

Leeds’ Italian owner has been in dispute with the Football League and it came to a head in the build up to Derby County’s rearranged fixture in late December.

He threatened to lock Sky out because of the disruption Leeds have faced this season, having had the date/time of 11 games changed for broadcast. Cellino is of the belief that Leeds suffer a financial loss from televised matches at Elland Road due to reduced income commercially.

In the end he backed down at the last minute by allowing the Derby match to be televised, having been warned by the Football League that Leeds would face a charge of misconduct if Sky were not allowed in.

But now, with Sky seeking to switch the visit of Middlesbrough next month, there could be a further battle between the Football League and Leeds which would determine whether or not the TV trucks will be allowed inside Elland Road for the visit of Karanka’s team.

Boro are not commenting on the situation because Sky are awaiting a decision from police before confirming the latest date change, but Cellino is stunned that the League is even contemplating a further adjustment for Leeds.

He was quoted saying: “Ask the Leeds United fans what they think. It’s up to the Football league. I’m still trying to understand it and I’m a little confused.”