MIDDLESBROUGH are hoping to make a permanent deal for Gaston Ramirez their first piece of transfer business following last weekend’s promotion to the Premier League.

With the euphoria that accompanied Boro’s return to the top-flight beginning to die down, thoughts are turning to what will be a busy summer of transfer activity as head coach Aitor Karanka attempts to strengthen his squad.

Chairman Steve Gibson has already pledged to make the investments required to ensure Boro are as “competitive as they can be” next season, and with the Premier League’s new television deal guaranteeing an income of at least £100m over the course of the next 12 months, the Teessiders’ recruitment team will spend the next few days firming up their list of potential targets.

There will not be a radical overhaul of the squad that secured promotion, but it is hoped that a handful of key additions will provide some additional depth and quality.

One of the first priorities will be tying Ramirez to a permanent deal, with the midfielder’s loan switch from Southampton having expired at the end of the season.

Ramirez’s current contract at St Mary’s is due to end next month, and there is no chance of the Uruguayan being offered a new deal on the south coast.

Boro officials have already raised the possibility of a permanent move to Teesside, but were unable to take things any further while the club’s promotion fate hung in the balance.

With a second-place finish now secured, they are keen to meet Ramirez and his representatives before the midfielder heads to South America to represent Uruguay in the Copa America. While Ramirez suffered a badly gashed leg during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton, it is still anticipated he will be available for international duty in a few weeks’ time.

The 25-year-old is understood to have been on around £70,000-a-week at Southampton, so there will have to be some discussions over how much Boro will be willing to pay him.

The Northern Echo:

However, with Ramirez having taken a pay cut in order to move to the Riverside in January, it should not be too hard to come up with a compromise agreement that is acceptable to everyone.

Competition from elsewhere could complicate things, with Ramirez, who started his career with Italian side Bologna, known to be attracting interest from at least two sides in Serie A.

There has also been talk of a potential contract offer from China, but having played a key role in Boro’s promotion push in the last four months, Ramirez is receptive to the offer of a permanent move to the North-East.

Having only made five senior appearances for Southampton in the whole of the first half of the season, Ramirez started 16 of Boro’s 19 matches after moving at the end of January, scoring seven goals.

He established himself as Karanka’s first-choice option in the pivotal ‘number ten’ role, and while Boro’s head coach is likely to add at least one more creative player to his ranks this summer, Ramirez would remain an important figure if he agreed to sign a long-term deal.

Ramirez is the only one of Boro’s current loan contingent that is likely to be offered a permanent contract. Michael Agazzi and Kike Sola will return to AC Milan and Athletic Bilbao respectively after making little or no impact, while neither Tomas Kalas nor Ritchie de Laet is expected to be offered a full-time move despite slotting in effectively at various stages this season.

Boro also have to decide what to do with a number of their own players who have been out on loan this season. Some, like Alex Baptiste, Adam Reach and Harry Chapman, are likely to get a chance to impress in pre-season, but others, such as Bradley Fewster, Brad Halliday and Mustapha Carayol, are likely to be made available for transfer.

The summer will also be used to ensure anyone carrying a minor knock in the last few weeks of the season is given every opportunity to start pre-season with a clean bill of health.

George Friend’s long-standing hamstring injury will be reassessed, while Grant Leadbitter is set to undergo surgery to repair a hernia problem.

Leadbitter has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks, with a series of painkilling injections helping to guarantee his continued availability.

“Grant is the character of this team,” said Karanka. “He’s the captain, and nobody knows how much he’s suffered to play the last three, four or five games.”