Middlesbrough have submitted a bid as high as £8m for Jorgen Strand Larsen but Groningen are holding out for £12m at this stage, according to a report from the Yorkshire Post.

The Teesside outfit are currently on the prowl for another striker with Andraz Sporar, Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun all departing the club on the expiration of their loan deals.

Uche Ikpeazu, meanwhile, has been told to find a new club and hasn't been in contention for Chris Wilder's side because of this, though the latter was forced to reintegrate Chuba Akpom into the first team with his current lack of options in this department.

In return, only Marcus Forss has linked up with the second-tier side thus far with the club enduring a frustrating time in their quest to bolster their attacking department.

However, they currently have multiple irons in the fire with Matthew Hoppe closing in on a move to the Riverside Stadium despite interest from league rivals Sunderland - and Wilder has confirmed interest in Larsen.

Boro have recently been boosted by the funds generated from Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier's sales to Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth, potentially giving the former Sheffield United boss plenty of money to work with in the latter stages of the window.

And they may need it with Groningen demanding a sizeable £12m for Larsen's services at this point, with the two sides seemingly £4m apart in their valuation of the 22-year-old at this stage.

The Verdict:

This is a mega fee to spend in the second tier so Boro should be looking to continue hard negotiations with the Dutch side, especially with a considerable amount of time left to go in the window.

It doesn't seem as though they have too much competition for his signature either at this stage, so Wilder's side can continue working behind the scenes to try and ensure they get the best deals possible for themselves.

In fairness, they are only set to spend around £3m on Matthew Hoppe if this deal goes through and with Spence and Tavernier's sales both generating eight-figure fees, they could probably afford to fork out £12m on Larsen.

They may get better value for money on a player from elsewhere, though at 22, Larsen will probably only get better and that's exciting considering he recorded 14 goals in 32 league appearances last term.

Wilder's side need a prolific goalscorer at this stage and the Norwegian has certainly proved he can be that - but it will be interesting to see just how much Boro are willing to do to get this deal over the line.