Middlesbrough will explore the possibility of prising Jack Grealish from Aston Villa should Gaston Ramirez leave for Leicester, with Claudio Ranieri preparing an improved bid for the forward.
Leicester have had an offer of around £12million rejected by Boro, who are holding out for closer to £15m, and Ramirez has handed in a transfer request in an effort to force the move.
Aitor Karanka is looking at an ambitious move for PSG forward Jese Rodriguez and has had a £10m bid rejected for Robert Snodgrass as Hull do not wish to sell to a relegation rival.
But the Boro boss is also weighing up an approach to Villa for Grealish, who offers a more like-for-like replacement to Ramirez and an alternative should the other transfer targets fail.