Neil Warnock is hoping to move quickly in order to sign a new striker this summer, according to the Northern Echo.

Middlesbrough are facing something of an attacking dilemma at the end of the season with Britt Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher both set to be out of contract in a couple of months' time.

In addition to that the club will have decisions to make on Nathaniel Mendez-Laing who is out of contract, while Neeskens Kebano and Yannick Bolasie will see their loan spells brought to an end.

That means the club face the prospect of signing a handful of new offensive players, something that Warnock is determined to make an early start on.

Speaking to the Northern Echo, Warnock said: "Say we’ve got two or three main targets, then I’d like to think we could get one early, even if it’s not our main target for the rest of the summer.

"I’d like to think we’d got one in straight away, so we’d know we had somebody sorted and it would take the heat out of things a bit.

“That’ll be what I’m trying to do. With the way the world is, it’s hard to know exactly how the summer will progress, so the last thing I want to do is be scrambling around in August with nothing already sorted.

“You try and look at who is affordable, and it’s just a matter of getting through the best. If we can get English, I would, and hopefully we can get one or two in (early) and then it’s not so urgent. I’d like to think we could get a Bosman or two and then look at what’s available. But you’d be surprised how difficult it is - everybody wants target-men don’t they?”

The verdict

It's going to be an incredibly busy transfer window for Middlesbrough.

With decisions to be made over so many players there's a real feeling that it's going to be a pivotal few months for the club as they look to build a side that can challenge for promotion next term.

Judgements will certainly be made on the business done this summer and so it's crucial that the club do a good job.