MICHAEL Carrick has made it clear that he wants to keep Chuba Akpom at Middlesbrough this summer amid uncertainty surrounding the forward's future as he moves into the last 12 months of his deal on Teesside.

Carrick says Boro are continuing in their efforts to agree a new deal with Akpom, who enjoyed the best season of his career last term, topping the Championship goal charts.

Last season's form led to speculation of interest from elsewhere over the course of the last six months or so, although there have been no formal approaches for the former Arsenal man as things stand.

Akpom's initial contract was due to expire this summer but Boro activated an option to extend the deal by 12 months. with further talks over the striker's long term future having taken place.

Akpom's representatives will point to his outstanding form last season as they push for improved terms, but while Boro value the forward extremely highly, the challenge for the 27-year-old is repeating last term's success and showing it wasn't a one-off.

If there are no signs of a contract breakthrough come the end of the summer and reported interest from elsewhere is followed up with a bid then Boro would have a decision to make. Every player has a price, but the Championship club are by no means actively looking to cash-in on last season's star man.

Carrick has been in the game long enough to know he can't make any guarantees when it comes to the future of Akpom or any player for that matter, but the head coach this week made it clear he wants Akpom to stay put.

"I hope so, of course I do. He's a big player for us," said Carrick, when asked whether he's confident Akpom will stay.

"Football is football and I'd be stupid on any player to guarantee anything because it doesn't work like that, but we'll see. We're trying. He's had a great time, he had a great season last season as we all did. We fell a bit short so we're hungry to do better this season.

"He's still here. He's our player this season. I speak to Chuba every day."

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Akpom is yet to feature in pre-season for Boro, further raising concerns among fans about the striker's future, but his absence has nothing to do with the contract uncertainty. A knee injury suffered at the end of last season is still troubling the forward.

That, admits Carrick, is a concern with just a fortnight to go until the start of the season and as things stand Akpom is a major doubt for the opener against Millwall.

Carrick said: "I worry because he’s not fit and it’s an important time of the year. But at the same time, injuries happen, you’ve got to deal with them and we’ve got good staff to do that."

Akpom hit 28 league goals last season on the way to scooping the Championship's golden boot and Player of the Year awards.

He looked destined to leave Boro 12 months ago but was given a surprise lifeline by former boss Chris Wilder and was a revelation in the No.10 role after Carrick's appointment, describing the head coach as the manager he's been dreaming of his whole career.