STEWART Downing last night issued Middlesbrough with an ultimatum - pay me what I'm worth or face the consequences.

On the same day the Teessiders revealed they had rejected a formal offer, believed to be in the region of £7m, for Downing from Premiership rivals Tottenham, the player's advisor Ian Elliott went on the offensive.

The 20-year-old England winger has three years to run on his current deal at the Riverside but the details were agreed prior to fulfilling his first full season in the top flight and subsequent international call-up.

Boro have opened talks with Downing but, according to Elliott, they have not gone well.

"We have held talks but we are at an impasse," he said. "Stewart is relaxed about the whole situation and the Tottenham bid just shows how highly regarded he is and he is pleased to be linked with such a high-profile club.

"However, both he and myself are very disappointed with the contract that has been offered to him.

"He is a local lad and has the club and fans at heart and it hurts him when he sees other people without these feelings being rewarded so much more than himself.

"The stats showed last season that Stewart was Middlesbrough's, and one of the Premiership's, top performers. He played well over 40 games and won his first international cap."

Elliott believes Downing's age is being used against him.

"The offer is not right. Stewart just wants to be paid accordingly but all we hear is about how old he is. That does not wash with me or with the player," he said.

"His age shouldn't matter and it should not be a barrier to him - it is stats and results that should do the speaking.

"The last message we received from the club was that the current offer would not be improved and that Stewart would have to serve out his present deal if he didn't accept.

"That is what Stewart has been told and if that is the case, then so be it."

Spurs, as well as other members of the Premiership elite, will no doubt take heart from these comments and Boro will now be bracing themselves for a renewed bid to prise the player away.

"We have had an approach from Tottenham regarding Stewart Downing," said chief executive Keith Lamb. "They did make an unsolicited offer, we rejected the offer immediately and told Tottenham that Stewart is not for sale, that we are not interested and that they should not pursue the matter any further."

Tottenham's interest in Downing was first revealed in Northern Echo SPORT three weeks ago.

The Londoners, who are also lining up a fresh approach for Newcastle's Jermaine Jenas, are keen to bolster their midfield ranks this summer after narrowly missing out on European football last season.

Spurs boss Martin Jol, who has already signed former Crystal Palace winger Wayne Routledge, still has around £20m to spend after Chelsea agreed to pay an undisclosed compensation fee last month following their capture of Frank Arnesen.

Arnesen identified Downing as the perfect person to add some guile and energy to Spurs' left wing before quitting the club, and Jol is prepared to spend big in order to secure his services.

They are also hoping to make the most of Jenas' unease at Newcastle's recent acquisition of Scott Parker.

The former Nottingham Forest midfielder will meet with Graeme Souness on Monday to seek reassurances about his future at St James' Park, with Spurs ready to muddy the waters further with a fresh £7.2m bid.

Middlesbrough officials were yesterday preparing to send a delegation to Moscow in an attempt to overturn Emanuel Pogatetz's six-month ban.

The Teessiders have launched an investigation into the precise circumstances behind the Russian FA's draconian sentence, but cannot count on the support of English football's governing body as they seek to safeguard their £1.8m investment in the full-back.

Pogatetz was banned for six months after breaking an opponent's leg in his final loan game for Spartak Moscow last weekend and, provided the Russian FA include the suspension in the player's international transfer certificate, the English FA's hands will be tied.

"The FIFA guidelines are very clear in this situation," said an FA spokesman. "They state that, if a player is suspended when he is transferred overseas, the new association is required to ensure that suspension is observed.

"Those are the FIFA regulations and they are set in stone."

Middlesbrough's only chance of overturning the ban now appears to lie with the Russian FA's appeal system.

Pogatetz can appeal against the severity of his ban, and Boro are prepared to do all they can to assist him. That is likely to include sending a team of lawyers to argue on the 22-year-old's behalf when he appears before the Russian FA's disciplinary committee in Moscow.

* Mark Wilson has signed for American side Dallas Burn after being released by Boro.

* Middlesbrough have rearranged two of their Premiership fixtures because of their involvement in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

The trip to Wigan has been put back 24 hours to Sunday, September 18 (3pm), while the game at Aston Villa will now take place on Sunday, October 2 (2pm).

Read more about Middlesbrough here.