GARRY MONK hopes Middlesbrough can strike a deal with Newcastle United for Karl Darlow before Championship rivals Reading seriously show their hand in the battle for the former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper.

Royals boss Jaap Stam is braced to lose Ali Al-Habsi this week after he expressed a wish to return to the Middle East to be closer to his Omani roots. Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is also weighing up making an offer too.

Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal are ready to trigger the £300,000 buy-out clause in his contract and that will leave Stam in need of a first team replacement.

Stam admitted last week that Darlow was one of eight goalkeepers on his list of targets and now he is ready to test the water at St James’ Park to see what can be done.

Middlesbrough have one of the biggest budgets in the division, though, and have already made a an offer in the region of £5m, which is understood to be somewhere close to the figure Newcastle are looking for.

However, the bid was rejected with sources on Tyneside suggesting the reason was because of the initial payment. Middlesbrough are keen to include add-ons, whereas Newcastle would prefer the fee to be up front.

Monk has alternatives in mind and has considered his former Leeds shot-stopper Rob Green and Sheffield Wednesday’s Keiren Westwood, but he is known to have made a firm move for Darlow.

The Northampton-born 26-year-old has enjoyed his time on Tyneside and was a regular fixture in Rafael Benitez’s Championship winning team. The former Nottingham Forest man would prefer to remain a first team player, knowing how Benitez has worked hard to bring in someone with greater top-flight experience like Napoli’s Pepe Reina.

But Reading are keen to push for Darlow too, with Stam hoping for some movement on the goalkeeper front by the end of this week as he looks to ensure his team build on the play-off place they finished in last season.

Monk flew out with the Middlesbrough squad to Portugal for a week long training break that will see them play two matches, and Dimi Konstantopoulos will have first chance to stake his claim for the No 1 spot after signing a contract extension.

The Middlesbrough boss hopes to hear of further transfer progress during his time in the Algarve after landing the first two signings of his tenure on Friday when Cyrus Christie and Jonny Howson arrived from Derby and Norwich respectively.

Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombolonga is still the preferred attacking purchase, although his club’s determination to land £15m from any sale is causing problems. That has led to Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle being linked as an alternative.

The players – minus Bernardo Espinosa who has joined Spanish side Girona - will work with Monk this week in the Algarve and full-back George Friend believes such trips are extremely worthwhile.

“It’s a change of scenery and an important part of pre-season,” said Friend. “You room with someone, you eat your meals together, and you’re in and out of each other’s pockets for a week really.

“It doesn’t have to be somewhere like Portugal – when I was at Exeter we would go down to Cornwall. It’s about being together and working hard as a group.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Uruguayan Gaston Ramirez has travelled out with the squad after showing a good attitude in training with the first team over the last week.