Middlesbrough are monitoring developments closely as Crystal Palace appear not have given up on signing Ben Doak from Liverpool this month.

Boro loan star Doak was the subject of a £16 million offer from Crystal Palace last week, with Ipswich Town also having a bid rejected by Liverpool. However, the Reds have a recall clause in his loan deal for this month and are open to selling the winger, with Arne Slot said to have decided he has no long-term future at Anfield.

Asked about the situation on Saturday, Michael Carrick said nothing had changed as far as he was concerned and said he was calm about the situation, and , for now, that remains the case on Teesside. However, despite reports over the weekend from talkSport that Palace are targeting Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham, it would appear they haven’t yet given up on signing Doak this month either.

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According to Alan Nixon, Palace are readying another £20m bid for the 19-year-old which will include bonuses to take it closer to the £30 million valuation that Liverpool have reportedly put on Doak. How Liverpool react to any potential offer of such value remains to be seen, and will be closely monitored by officials on Teesside.

Boro are desperate to keep Doak until the end of the season as the Scotland international continues to star for Carrick’s side in the Championship promotion race. Another assist in Saturday’s draw with Cardiff City took him to six assists for the campaign, while he also has two goals.

Liverpool are said to be pleased with his time on Teesside and would be happy to leave him at Boro until the end of the season if no one matches their valuation this month. However, Doak’s form has caught the eye. As Boro monitor the situation closely, their recruitment team have identified potential targets for the January transfer window in order to be ready for any eventuality this month.

Currently operating with a full 25-man squad, Boro would only be able to sign new players by creating spaces in their squad. They can just de-register players but, beyond long-term injuries, will not want to pay any more players who are ineligible to play due to registration rules - which is a situation they already find themselves in with Matthew Hoppe.