NEIL WARNOCK is ready to shelve his interest in Kieffer Moore and move on to alternative attacking targets as he looks to assemble the core of his new Middlesbrough squad before the start of pre-season training.

Warnock confirmed he had approached a number of players last week, and stressed he would be seeking an early indication of whether his initial targets were interested in moving to Teesside. “Fom Monday onwards, I’m going to start putting pressure on people, and if they don’t want to come, I’ll leave alone,” said the Boro boss.

Grant Hall became the first player to commit to Warnock’s new project when he signed as a free agent on Friday, but while Moore has been approached, the Wigan striker is speaking to a number of different clubs.

Cardiff were one of the first sides to hold discussions in the wake of Wigan’s relegation to League One, and the Bluebirds are increasingly confident Moore will opt to move to South Wales in the next few days.

Stoke City, Derby County, Preston and QPR are also understood to have held talks with Moore and his representatives, and while Boro officials are confident they can table a bid that would be accepted by Wigan’s administrators, Warnock does want to waste time chasing a player who has reservations about nominating a move to Teesside as his first choice.

Warnock, who returned to work at Rockliffe Park yesterday after a family break in Cornwall, has been working with the rest of Boro’s recruitment team to compile a number of different options in the positions he is looking to fill, and is set to widen his attacking search in the next few days.