NICKY BAILEY'S time on Teesside has edged closer to the end after admitting there has been no new contract offer from Middlesbrough.

Boro boss Tony Mowbray suggested “everything was sorted in his mind” with regard to the players set to become free agents after ending the season with a 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Julio Arca and Stephen McManus are already looking for their next employer, while Andre Bikey remains someone who could stay if a deal is suitable for both parties.

And Bailey, who missed the trip to Hillsborough after throat surgery last week, is already gearing up to depart after three years at the Riverside Stadium since his £1.5m switch from Charlton.

“I've never said I wanted to leave Middlesbrough,” said Bailey, in an interview with Sky Sports. “I have not been offered anything at Middlesbrough. Life goes on. If I was to leave then I would have had a few good memories. It might be time to move on.

“I would consider a new contract. If it was right for me and the family then 100 per cent I would be there. We will see what happens. Hopefully I will have something sorted soon.

“I'd be really happy to stay and helping Middlesbrough back in the Premier League but I suppose time will tell.”

Mowbray is keen to have some room for manoeuvre in his wage budget to introduce some new faces to his squad over the course of the summer and the likes of Bailey leaving would help that.

The Middlesbrough manager, clearly despondent by another below-par showing from his team against the relegation-threatened Owls, is determined to bring in the right personnel to avoid a repeat of this season's slump since New Year's Day.

Mowbray said: “The likes of Christian Burgess, Ben Gibson and Bryn Morris have big futures with us and it was a day to try to give them the experience of a 30,000 crowd, so I won't be critical of any of them. Ultimately the team was not strong enough to go out with a victory.

“This summer is about recruitment. We have seen that over 46 games this group is not strong enough to sustain a challenge so they need some help. How will we do that? We will try to find the players who give us extra creativity and resilience.

“There is enough talent in the group - it was there for 26 games – yet we have fallen away and we need to be able to sustain that for the season. We need to find the players to make our fans excited for next season. Whether that is attacking, exciting players or resilient defenders, we need both.”