MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren is hoping to be given the green light to splash the cash on unsettled Fulham midfielder Sean Davis.

McClaren has been a big admirer of the 23-year-old for some time and he is preparing to make a swoop for a player who handed in a written transfer request yesterday. But the Boro boss will have to fend off competition from both Everton and Blackburn for Davis, who is rated at £7m by his club.

After missing out on a host of midfield targets this summer - most notably Trevor Sinclair, Brett Emerton, and David Dunn - McClaren is desperate to add the Fulham star to his squad before Boro's opening day trip to, ironically, Loftus Road a week tomorrow.

"Sean is a player I have always admired," said the Riverside chief. " I like the way he plays and I have followed his progress all the way through and he is the type of player who fits our profile perfectly.

"He's British, he's young and he's got years ahead of him. He's someone I said that if he ever became available he would be someone we would be interested in."

Davis is a product of the Cottagers' youth system but he has become disgruntled with life at Mohammed Al Fayed's outfit following the sale of close friend Steve Finnan to Liverpool.

And last night Davis admitted: "I've been at Fulham a long time and now I think it is time I moved on. It's not a decision I took lightly but I'm ambitious and I don't think Fulham have the necessary ambition any more since they sold Steve Finnan."

Fulham's high valuation of the player is not likely to be met, although they will be hoping to receive more than the £3.5m they turned down from Everton during the close-season.

Toffees boss David Moyes is still in the market for a midfielder after missing out on Sunderland's Gavin McCann and Blackburn are keen to find a replacement for former Boro target Dunn, who joined Birmingham in a £5.5m deal.

And now Fulham manager Chris Coleman seems to be resigned to losing Davis and could ask for Boro keeper Mark Crossley in exchange as part of any deal. A Fulham statement read: "The club is disappointed to announce that Sean Davis handed in a written transfer request to Chris Coleman citing his ambition to further his career as his reason to want to leave.

"Chris is obviously saddened by the request as he believes that Sean had a huge future at the club and that his career prospects would have been considerably enhanced playing for Fulham in a pivotal role."

McClaren, who has so far only signed Doriva from Celta Vigo and Alan Wright on a free transfer, is desperate to add at least two new faces to his squad ahead of the Premiership kick-off.

And he is hopeful of doing so, he said: "We are endeavouring to bring new players in and we're constantly on the phone and we have a few players on the list. The midfield area is certainly somewhere we need to strengthen.

"It has been a frustrating summer because I would like to have had players in by now to boost the squad. If I'd have done that then they would have been into the training and in the squad."

Two players who will not be arriving on Teesside are Sunderland's Kevin Phillips and Inter Milan's Stephane Dalmat.

McClaren now appears to be happy with the strikers he has got and has ruled out matching Southampton's £3m valuation of Phillips. While the former England coach also indicated there is little hope of Boro agreeing on a temporary switch for Dalmat.

He said: "The Dalmat one looks as though it won't be done. We tried to get the player on loan but Inter are holding out for a permanent transfer, which at this stage we are not likely to do."

Meanwhile, Boro's reserve team goalkeeper Brad Jones has completed a two-month loan switch to First Division Rotherham United.

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