MIDDLESBROUGH have been urged to open contract talks with Dutch star Bolo Zenden or risk losing him to the continent in the summer.

Zenden, who signed a 12-month deal at the Riverside last year after making the switch from Chelsea, is out of contract in the summer and has hinted that, while he could be convinced otherwise, he may seek to move abroad if Boro fail to get into Europe next season.

That prospect looks more likely now with the club knocked out of the UEFA Cup and slipping down the Premiership at an alarming rate in recent weeks. Sunday's defeat to Southampton at the Riverside saw them drop to ninth after looking near certainties for a top six place before Christmas.

Zenden's agent and father Pierre Zenden has said the club has yet to make any moves regarding the midfielder's situation.

''We have not yet had any contact with the club about a new contract,'' he said. ''It expires this summer and I think we will start talking.

"Boudewijn is absolutely happy at Boro. But I don't know whether he will stay - there are clubs abroad very interested in him.'"

A Boro spokesman declined to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, another of the club's foreign contingent has also been talking about his Teesside future.

Striker Szilard Nemeth, who has featured up front in Boro's last two games but has been played wide has hinted he is not completely happy. The Slovakian does not believe being played on the right gets the best out of him and would prefer to operate in attack.

"My game is based on pace, running into spaces and converting chances," he said. "The situation at the club, however, is different and I have to play on the right hand side of midfield. I'm glad at least that at international level for Slovakia I get the chance to play up front."

Nemeth has been linked with a move to Scottish champions Celtic, but the player himself said there was nothing to report.

"I don't know anything about it so there is nothing to comment on," he said. "It's hard to say whether I'd be interested in a move to Scotland, nobody from Celtic has contacted me. I don't do deals behind anyone's back.

He added on his Riverside situation: "There is nothing concrete in place yet. At this stage I'm not thinking of moving."

Tony McMahon goes under the knife today in a bid to resolve a knee problem picked up against Sporting.

The young full-back is having a knee cartilage operation and is expected to be out for six weeks. With just eight games to go this season, there must be a major doubt that the player will see action again this term.

There was better news on three more injury fronts though, with striker Mark Viduka, midfielder George Boateng and central defender Ugo Ehiogu progressing well according to the club following hamstring, foot and knee concerns.

Boateng has a chance of being involved in the game against Crystal Palace on April 2, while Viduka could also figure.

A Boro spokesman said: "George Boateng ... is doing some technical training at the moment. He is not training with the rest of the team but he is not far away from doing that, so hopefully by the time the Crystal Palace game comes he will be up to speed.

"Viduka, similarly, is just doing light training at the moment. He would need to step up his training a little bit from where he is at the moment (to come into contention)."

Ehiogu, meanwhile, is reported to be ahead of schedule.

"He is doing very, very light training at the moment," the spokesman said. "But he is hopefully going to get back into it in the next couple of weeks.

"I don't think Ugo will be ready for the Palace game but he is hoping to get some games in before the end of the season. It's looking more encouraging."

l Celtic manager Martin O'Neill claims there have been no approaches from any clubs wanting to sign Juninho.

The former Boro star was reported to have negotiated a deal with Brazilian club Palmeiras but O'Neill said: ''While I'm sympathetic to his wish to return home, we as a club have not received any contact from anyone in Brazil."