DANIEL AYALA is being sought by a number of clubs aware that he has entered the final year of his contract at Middlesbrough.

The Spanish defender only has 11 months remaining on his deal at the Riverside Stadium and there have been discussions over an extension.

But Ayala is yet to put pen to paper on new terms and that will increase the uncertainty surrounding his future until the situation is cleared up.

The 25-year-old is known to have caught the eye of Everton and Newcastle, but there are also a number of other clubs believed to be interested if the price was right.

Earlier in the summer it was suggested Newcastle had been informed it could cost as much as £15m to tempt Middlesbrough into selling.

Ayala has become a key player for Aitor Karanka but the pair did clash last season over an injury which saw the centre-back appear for just 24 minutes in two months.

The 25-year-old has yet to figure during pre-season, with Karanka stating last weekend that his ankle problem could keep him out for a further two weeks.

The Middlesbrough boss has already signed former Sporting Gijon defender Bernardo Espinosa this summer, although he is still recovering from a serious knee injury and will miss the start of the campaign. They have also brought in Jordan McGhee from Hearts, although he is seen more as an Under-23s player at this stage.

Middlesbrough had hoped to sign Neven Subotic, but his move to Teesside broke down this week as The Northern Echo revealed he had failed a medical and that has left Karanka looking for a further defensive signing.

Ayala, signed initially on loan in October 2013 by Tony Mowbray, has been one of the best defenders in the Championship during the last couple of years and has caught the eye of a number of top-flight and top end Championship clubs.

Karanka would prefer to keep him but if Middlesbrough received sizeable offers then a decision will have to be made given he could leave as a free agent next year.

Middlesbrough have played youngsters Adam Jackson and Bryn Morris at the heart of the defence so far during pre-season, as well as Ben Gibson and Alex Baptiste, who is back with the club after last season’s loan at Sheffield United.

Karanka has already signed seven new players and is looking for more, with extra defensive options his priority following the breakdown of Subotic’s switch to the Riverside.

Middlesbrough now know they will have Danish winger Viktor Fischer available for the start of the new season. There were fears he could have gone to the OIympics to represent his country.

There have been suggestions in Denmark that Middlesbrough have blocked Fischer’s attempts to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the games.

However, while he would have played, he is also understood to have been keen to focus on starting his first Premier League campaign following his £3.8m switch from Ajax.

He has since been overlooked and not included in Denmark’s squad and should figure in his third Middlesbrough match against Spanish side Alcorcon in Marbella tonight as he looks to press his claims to start against Stoke City on August 13.

Uruguayan Gaston Ramirez, meanwhile, has outlined his reasons for returning to the club after helping Middlesbrough secure promotion after his season-long loan at Middlesbrough.

“I knew Cristhian (Stuani) and Carlos (De Pena), and the gaffer gave me his confidence - that’s important for any player,” said Ramirez.

“You can try things in games, make mistakes and improve. I saw on Twitter how the fans wanted me to come back and I always tried to keep in touch with the gaffer.

“I saw how much people wanted me and that made me feel good. I’m very pleased that the fans who came to every game wanted me again and I want to say thanks to all of the supporters and staff.”