MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has made fresh attempts to put plans in place to bolster his squad this summer by making a trip to Italy.

McClaren and chief executive Keith Lamb were in Turin on Wednesday night to witness Liverpool book a place in the Champions League semi-final.

And it is believed the pair used the trip to try and broker an early deal for a new recruit when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season.

McClaren has made no secret of the fact that he has given Lamb a list of targets to work on.

The Juve squad is filled with star players but the Riverside outfit have shown in the past - with surprise big name captures like Fabrizio Ravanelli and Gaizka Mendieta arriving on Teesside - they are not afraid to target the best around.

It is unclear which Juventus player has been singled out, although Boro are known to be keen admirers of the Stadio Delle Alpi's Croatian centre-back Igor Tudor.

Tudor is currently on a season long loan at Serie A rivals Siena but is available to move when that deal expires at the end of the campaign.

The versatile defender was actually tracked in January, but Juve's director general Luciano Moggi was reluctant to allow the player to move abroad at that point.

Strengthening the defence is not all that Boro are focused on and McClaren and Lamb are determined to strengthen in other areas during the summer.

A deal to bring Portsmouth front man Aiyegbeni Yakubu to Boro is thought to have already been negotiated, while they are also aiming to bolster the midfield ranks with one, possibly two, new additions.

Tudor's Juventus club-mates Gianluca Pessotto and Alessio Tacchinardi have both been linked with Boro in the past but the Premiership club are doing their best to keep a tight lip on targets.

McClaren's intention to bolster his squad has been outlined by chief executive Lamb who has reiterated the club's desire to become bigger and better.

Lamb said: "We're still fiercely ambitious. There's no limit to our ambitions. Steve Gibson (chairman) still wants to do his best for the football club and the for the town.

"Whatever we've achieved in the last ten years, there's no reason why we can't do even better over the next ten."

Meanwhile, Stewart Downing, the club's flying winger, has been nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association's Young Player of the Year award.

Downing has enjoyed an outstanding first full season as a Premiership regular at Boro and is fantastic form led to hyim stepping up from the England Under-21s to senior international level.

Despite being just 20, he has already earned his first cap and has attracted interest from Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

But if Downing is to win the prestigious award he faces exceptional competition for the award which is due to be presented to the winner on April 24.

Also in contention are Tottenham's Jermain Defoe, Chelsea's Arjen Robben, Man United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney plus Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.