MIDDLESBROUGH hope to hold urgent talks with Rudolph Douala's representatives later today after the Sporting Lisbon striker performed a shock U-turn and turned his back on a move to Teesside.

Boro had hoped to include Douala in their squad for Saturday's trip to Tottenham after finally agreeing a £5.5m fee with his current employers, Sporting Lisbon, on Monday night.

Boss Steve McClaren has long seen the winger as a natural replacement for the departed Bolo Zenden and chief executive Keith Lamb had been expected to hold face-to-face talks with Douala this morning.

But, instead, the Teessiders are desperately trying to resurrect the deal after the Cameroon international expressed a desire to stay in Lisbon - despite giving Boro officials a clear assurance that he wanted to join the club.

His appearance in last week's Champions League qualifying round prevents him from playing for Middlesbrough in this season's UEFA Cup, and sources in Portugal suggest he is unwilling to deprive himself of European football for the rest of the campaign.

"I would very much like to thank the coach of Middlesbrough for showing an interest in signing me," said Douala, whose French passport means he does not need a work permit to play in England.

"It is a signal that my work is good, but I do not want, at this moment, to play for Middlesbrough.

"On reflection, I am thinking only about helping Sporting.

"The championship is about to start and we want a good season."

While Douala is digging his heels in, Boro officials remain confident of persuading him to change his mind yet again.

Sporting have grudgingly agreed to sell as they pursue a number of transfer targets of their own - including Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana - and the Portuguese side are ready to put the winger under further pressure to re-consider.

McClaren would find himself back to square one if the deal were to collapse, though, as the Boro boss has abandoned other midfield targets in order to focus all of his attentions on Douala.

With just two more weeks until the transfer window closes, he would struggle to bolster a midfield that looked somewhat pedestrian against Liverpool, should the Sporting star fail to arrive.

As well as attempting to sign new midfielders, Middlesbrough are also making moves to hold onto what they already have, although initial talks with George Boateng have not gone well.

The Dutch international, who is out of contract in the summer, is hoping to sign a new four-year deal, but the club's initial offer has not met with his approval.

"The club have spoken to my advisors and they've offered a contract that, in my opinion, is well away," said Boateng.

"We're far apart from what I think I should get and what they want to give me. It's now up to the club to show they want me."

* Szilard Nemeth faces three weeks on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in last weekend's goalless draw with Liverpool.

The striker, who picked up the problem while blocking the free-kick that resulted from Ugo Ehiogu's dismissal, was forced to pull out of the Slovakian squad ahead of this evening's World Cup qualifier with Liechtenstein.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.