Pulis has seen Connor Roberts and Adam Forshaw leave Teesside this month, but having inherited a squad he felt was too big, the Boro boss would ideally like to sanction another two or three departures before the transfer window closes next Wednesday.

There has been interest in a number of his players, but the only offers that have come across the table have been proposed loan deals.

Pulis is hoping to make a couple of loan additions in the next five days, but insists it makes no sense for Boro to allow players to leave on a temporary basis.

“We’ve had loan offers for about four or five people, but we are not doing loans, full stop,” said Pulis, ahead of this afternoon’s FA Cup fourth-round tie with Brighton.

“There’s been interest for four or five of our players, but it’s been interest for loans more than permanent deals.

“At the moment, people have rung up about loans, and this, that and the other, but they’ve got absolutely no chance. We’re not going to give players away. I think every club in the country will sell if the price is right though, and we’re no different.”

Bordeaux have offered to take Martin Braithwaite on loan, but while Boro will consider bids that match the £9m they paid to sign the Danish forward from Toulouse in the summer, there is very little chance of any Ligue 1 suitor being able to pay that price.

There has been considerable interest in Ashley Fletcher, including an approach from Sunderland, but again, it is extremely unlikely that anyone will offer the £6.5m fee that saw Boro sign the 22-year-old from West Ham.

Fabio da Silva will remain on Teesside beyond the end of the month unless any of his Brazilian admirers are willing to pay to sign him permanently, and while Nottingham Forest have been heavily linked with a move for Adam Clayton, Pulis is yet to hear anything from Aitor Karanka or the board at the City Ground.

“If Aitor was going to take Clayts or anyone, I think he’d give me a ring or the club a ring, and I don’t think the club have received any phone calls off Forest for Clayton at this present moment,” he said.

When it comes to incomings, Pulis remains adamant he does not want to make any permanent additions this month. Steve Gibson has assured him there is money available if he wants to dip into the transfer market, but Pulis would rather make long-term signings in the summer when he has had another four months in which to get to know the members of his current squad.

Loan signings remain a strong possibility though, with Pulis understood to be targeting a central midfielder following the departure of Adam Forshaw. If Clayton was to leave too, that would become even more of a priority.

The Boro boss is expected to make a couple of formal inquiries at the start of next week, with his own transfer activity not dependent on the scale of any more exits.

“We’ll see what happens over the next three or four days,” said Pulis. “If we can add one or two we will, but they’ll be loans. We won’t be spending any money.

“There’s money there. The chairman has told me there’s money there if I want to spend it. I’ve been in the job for three or four weeks now, but you need three or four months at a football club to actually get to grips with it.

“I don’t want to throw caution to the wind. I want to be pretty sensible if I can with what we try to do, both on and off the pitch. Then at the end of the season, I can go and have a good chat with Steve.”

Pulis will make the final decision over all transfer matters, but his judgement will be guided by Gibson. The pair have quickly developed a close relationship, and the Boro boss insists he is perfectly happy to talk through issues with his chairman before reaching an amicable agreement.

“I will always speak to Steve and the people at the football club,” he said. “It’s their money, it’s their football club and they have a responsibility to know everything that goes on.

“The great thing about Steve, having spoken to him, is that he’s got the same feelings and same attitude as Peter Coates at Stoke. He wants you to run the football club, but he wants to be a part of it and wants to know what’s going on all the time.

“For me, that’s second nature. To pick the phone up with him is no problem, to have a glass of wine or pint of beer with him is no problem, and that’s a relationship that’s so, so important in modern-day football.”