CHAMPIONS League bound Club Brugge are ready to battle for the signature of Jelle Vossen if Middlesbrough decide to pursue another deal for the striker.

Vossen has returned to Belgium following the end of his season long loan with his future uncertain and he will have detailed talks about where he will be playing next season over the next few weeks.

But Genk, where he still has a two-year contract, would be willing to let him go again after failing to break through to qualify for Europe after finishing down in seventh spot in the Belgium Pro League.

Middlesbrough’s failure to secure promotion back to the Premier League means that chairman Steve Gibson has to be sensible with his spending again, so the £2.7m fee which had been agreed between the two clubs last summer was not paid for a permanent deal.

A summer transfer has not been ruled out at this stage with Genk boss Peter Maes suggesting this week that he expects a "breakthrough" and a further season long loan could still be struck at the Riverside if the Belgians fail to sell come August.

But Aitor Karanka is considering his options and wants to see what is available before rushing in to anything, particularly given how Patrick Bamford has returned to Chelsea following his loan and is likely to be in the Premier League next season.

Club Brugge, who won the regular Belgium league season by four points before finishing second in a play-off to clinch a place in the Champions League qualifiers, are keeping an eye on the situation and are weighing up an offer for Vossen.

But the 26-year-old is interested in returning to Teesside, if a deal can be struck between Genk and Middlesbrough. He said: “I don’t know at this moment what will be happening next season. What I do know is that I have two more years of contract left in Belgium. We will see.

“It has been an amazing season for me here. I want to thank all of them, the lads, the staff and the fans for this amazing season. I don’t know if I will be back but I really enjoyed it. Of course I will be open to coming back, but it’s not up to me to decide. I really enjoyed my time and I would not mind having more time here at Middlesbrough.”

After a slow start on Teesside, Vossen became a regular as the season entered the final stages and he ended up scoring nine goals for Middlesbrough.

But he was left disappointed and deflated when Middlesbrough’s Premier league dream – which could end up being the closest he comes to playing in the English top-flight – came to an end at Wembley with defeat to Norwich City.

He said: “It was a big disappointment. Everyone knows that when you go in to a final there is only one side who will be remembered, that’s the winning side.

“It was a big disappointment to lose the game but generally we have to be proud of ourselves because we did a lot better than most expected of us this season. Everyone has to just have to take positive things and look forward to next season.”

When he reflects on Middlesbrough’s play-off final frustrations, he does not want to think of it from an individual perspective even though it could have helped his own push to stay in the North-East.

He said: “It wasn’t a case of me needing to win the game to stay at Middlesbrough. I had the same feelings at Wembley as every player. We had a big opportunity to get promoted to the Premier League, which is known as the best league in the world.

“That was a big opportunity we missed. You get emotional after a game like that because you have been working ten months to get to that moment. Then you have to realise it is another year in the Championship for this club so it was hard for everyone. It’s normal that the disappointment was that big.”