GARETH Southgate last night insisted that Ayegbeni Yakubu was "not for sale", and claimed that he was pursuing Tottenham striker Mido in the hope of playing him alongside the Nigerian, rather than instead of him.

Yakubu's future has been called into question again this week after Everton chairman Bill Kenwright contacted Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb on Monday evening to inquire about the striker's availability.

A formal bid has not been made and, contrary to some reports, Southgate is adamant that Yakubu has not submitted a transfer request confirming his desire to leave the Riverside.

Instead, the Boro boss insists that his leading goalscorer assured him of his intention to stay on Teesside in a face-to-face conversation earlier this week.

That discussion has led Southgate to repeat that Yakubu is not for sale, even if Everton or Portsmouth, his other long-term suitors, return with a formal offer before the transfer window closes on August 31.

"I don't know the exact ins and outs of whether there was anything written (from Everton)," said the Middlesbrough manager. "But it's irrelevant because he's not for sale.

"Whatever the form of the contact was, we are trying to build a team and we feel that Yakubu is an important part of that. We're not welcoming any bids, particularly 24 hours before the start of the season, to take one of our best players away."

Indeed, rather than looking to sell a striker, Southgate claims that Boro are hoping to be unveiling one within the next few days.

Club officials were locked in talks with Mido on Tuesday night after Tottenham accepted their £6m offer for the Egypt international.

Boro are understood to have made Mido a more substantial financial offer than the one he recently turned down at Birmingham, but Sunderland are also hoping to lure the 24-year-old from White Hart Lane.

Mido met Black Cats boss Roy Keane at the Academy of Light on Sunday, but opted to speak to the Teessiders rather than signing for Sunderland without hearing Boro's counter-offer.

He is expected to make a final decision on his future later today, but Southgate insists that his arrival at the Riverside would not increase the chances of Yakubu departing.

"Our view is that we would like them both," he said. "If we could do it, that would be what we would want. But, at the moment, one of them is our player and one of them is not.

"Mido is somebody that we have an interest in though. We've made contact with Tottenham and he's one of a couple of players in different positions that we're in talks with."

While Mido's arrival would help to calm the nerves of a Riverside faithful still worried by the departure of Mark Viduka, it is Yakubu's future that is exercising most minds ahead of tomorrow's Premier League opener with Blackburn.

Despite scoring 16 goals over the course of last season, the former Portsmouth striker is known to have become increasingly disillusioned in the latter stages of the campaign as he was controversially dropped from Boro's starting line-up.

He spent the majority of the summer in his native Nigeria, but Southgate was quick to hold a series of frank discussions when he returned to England at the end of last month.

Rumours of Yakubu's supposed unhappiness persist, but rather than wanting to find a route out of Riverside, the Boro boss feels the 24-year-old is currently happier than he has ever been.

"He's told me to my face that he wants to stay," said Southgate. "If I thought I had a problem with him, it would be a very different situation.

"I think what's important before we go into Saturday's game is that people know that he's committed to being here, he enjoys being here and he'll give everything for this team when he goes on the field.

"I believe he's looking forward to the start of the season.

"His parents are coming up for the opening game and I'm sure he'll want to put a show on for them.

"You always have conversations from outside, but I can only go on the discussions and interactions I've had with Yak. They've told me that he's very happy and is working as hard as I've seen him.

"I thought he looked very sharp in the game last week (a 2-0 win over Alkmaar) and, if I'm honest, I think he's really enjoying his football here."