ROSS McCORMACK’S team-mates have urged the Fulham hierarchy not to sell the Middlesbrough transfer target this month.

Boro’s initial approach for McCormack was rebuffed last week, but the Teessiders have made renewed contact with Fulham officials and are prepared to pay up to £8m to secure the Scotland international.

That is less than Fulham shelled out to sign McCormack from Leeds United in the summer of 2014, but with the London club currently the subject of a Football League transfer embargo, Boro’s recruitment team feel the need to raise funds should be factored into any negotiations.

At this stage, Fulham continue to insist that McCormack is not for sale, but that could change in the final two weeks of the transfer window if Boro are prepared to improve their offer.

McCormack’s 15 Championship goals make him the second-highest scorer in the division, even though Fulham are only four points clear of the relegation zone, and Cottagers defender Dan Burn admits that his departure to Middlesbrough would leave his current employers in a potentially precarious position.

“I think it’s massive for us to keep him,” said Burn, who began his career with Darlington. “The stuff Ross does for us is crucial. He scores lots of goals, which is really important and what gets noticed.

“But it is the stuff he does that you don’t see which is even more important. He links up play and pushes us forward. Even the work off the ball is crucial.

“I’m not surprised he is linked with other clubs, and I think it’s important that we keep hold of him.”

McCormack is one of three long-term attacking targets to have been scouted extensively by Boro in the last two years, with Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes and Crystal Palace’s Dwight Gayle also continuing to command considerable attention.

Boro have recruited Spanish forward Kike Sola during the current transfer window, and remain hopeful of landing Victor Lindelof even though the Swedish defender appeared for Benfica in yesterday’s Portuguese League Cup game with Oriental.

Lindelof was named in what was effectively a shadow Benfica side, but while he remains on the periphery of things at the Estadio da Luz, his continued presence in Lisbon confirms that Boro have encountered problems in their attempts to tie up a deal.

It had been envisaged that Lindelof’s transfer on a season-long loan would be completed at the start of the week, but the technicalities of the move remain unresolved.

Spanish side Real Valladolid have also been linked with Lindelof, and Boro head coach Aitor Karanka will be keen to resolve things as quickly as possible in order to beat off any potential competition.

Meanwhile, Boro’s trip to Leeds United has been confirmed for a new date of Monday, February 15 (7.45pm).

The rescheduling was the subject of fierce debate between Football League officials and Leeds chairman Massimo Cellino, who is furious at the number of times his club has been selected for live television coverage.

Cellino had threatened to prevent Sky crews from entering Elland Road, but yesterday’s confirmation of a new date ends the impasse.