AITOR KARANKA has warned Gaston Ramirez he will be expected to buckle down and concentrate on the second half of the season if he is still a Middlesbrough player when the transfer window closes on Tuesday night.

Ramirez will not be involved when Boro take on Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup fourth round this afternoon, although Karanka continues to insist the Uruguayan’s absence is due to an ongoing knee injury rather than his desire to leave Teesside this month.

The Northern Echo:

Ramirez has submitted a formal transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Leicester City, but the Boro hierarchy rejected the reigning Premier League champions’ initial offer of £10m.

The Teessiders are adamant Leicester will have to bid at least £15m before they will even consider kick-starting serious discussions about a move, and continue to insist they will be happy to retain Ramirez beyond the end of the month if the Foxes do not meet their asking price.

The situation bears similarities to the one involving Albert Adomah last summer. Back then, Adomah submitted a transfer request after clashing with Karanka during a home defeat to Bristol City, but Boro’s terms were not met and the winger remained at the Riverside for the rest of the campaign.

He made a major contribution to his side’s promotion success, and Karanka expects Ramirez to show similar professionalism if he is prevented from leaving Teesside next week.

“It is a frustrating situation, but as a professional, I have to deal with it in the same way that I dealt with Adomah,” said the Boro head coach. “Nobody is more important than the club. At the end (of the window), if the right offer doesn’t arrive, he (Ramirez) will be an important player in this club, like Adomah was last season. Everybody knows his qualities.

“It is frustrating as a person, but as a coach, you just have to deal with these things. Last season, I had a really good relationship with Albert, so those days (when Adomah wanted to leave) were difficult for both of us. But in the end, the main thing is that he did a really good job for us last season and I hope at the end of the transfer market, Gaston will be here to do the same.”

Ramirez’s fate is likely to play a significant role in determining the extent of Boro’s incoming business ahead of Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

The Teessiders missed out on one of their leading targets yesterday when Robert Snodgrass underwent a medical at West Ham ahead of a £10m switch from Hull City.

Boro tabled an offer of their own for the Scotland international, but Hull’s owners refused to sell to a club they consider one of their relegation rivals. As a result, Snodgrass was told that if he wanted to leave the KCOM Stadium this month, he would have to go to West Ham.

Boro remain hopeful of signing Jese Rodriguez on a season-long loan, although La Liga side Las Palmas spent yesterday attempting to put together an improved offer of their own for the forward.

Having been born and raised in Gran Canaria, Jese would prefer to join Las Palmas, but Boro’s loan offer remains the more financially attractive to PSG. Further talks involving all parties are planned for the weekend.

Karanka is also involved in discussions with Stoke City over Bojan Krkic, although the Potters have consistently refused to lower their £12m asking price for the former Barcelona trainee.

Boro were yesterday linked with a possible move for Jack Grealish, with Aston Villa officials having offered the midfielder as part of a potential deal for Jordan Rhodes.

Neil Bausor and Steve Gibson have held a number of discussions with the Villa hierarchy about Rhodes, and despite Steve Bruce’s comments earlier this week suggesting his club had called off their pursuit of the Scotsman, there is still a chance a deal could be done in the next four days.

Grealish’s name has been mentioned, but Boro would prefer a straight cash deal if Rhodes is to leave permanently. Alternatively, there is still a chance the striker could leave on loan, with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer.

One deal involving a Boro player was completed yesterday, with development-team left-back Mark Kitching joining League One side Rochdale on loan until the end of the season.

“He played for us in a behind-closed-doors game on Tuesday, and I was really impressed,” said Dale manager Keith Hill. “He’s a good player, he meets our DNA and I think once he warms up with respect to meeting the demands of the team and the environment, then I’m sure we’ve got a very good young player.”