Neil Warnock hopeful of strengthening his squad by next week

According to Neil Warnock, Boro's Chief Executive Neil Bausor has now returned abroad after failed negotiations with Muniz in order to pursue targets closer to home. 

Boro are on the eve of their first game of the season. They face Fulham on Sunday afternoon and they'll hopeful Martin Payero is available as the club wait for international clearance. 

While Warnock's focus will be on Sunday's showdown at Craven Cottage, he admits work will be going on behind the scenes to add to the squad over the course of next week. 

Warnock said: “We’re working on a few things at the moment - little things going off behind the scenes.

“But I don’t think there will be anything until next week at the earliest.

“Neil is back from abroad and he will be working hard on a couple of targets that we’ve spoken about.”

The club have had a failed bid for Cardiff City defender Ciaron Brown and Bluebirds manager Mick McCarthy has recently told the press that he won't be leaving South Wales as a result. 

"I turned the offer down," McCarthy said on Thursday afternoon.

"The upshot of that is that Ciaron will stay here.

"I certainly don’t want him to go anywhere. I’ve offered him a deal, I’d like him to stay.

"Always, when someone else comes in [to sign them], it’s always quite exciting as a player, the chance of a move.

"But there has got to be a right value to it as well and it wasn’t."

Meanwhile Jamie Patterson, who was on trial with the club after his release from Bristol City and featured in a number of pre-season friendlies, has now signed for Championship rivals Swansea City on a one-year deal after the club rejected the chance to sign him. 

Warnock added: “I had a chat with him. He was unlucky really. He had a bad injury last year and missed two or three months at the end of the season and he’s not really got right since.

“I think he was a little bit frustrated that he couldn’t do more."