PLYMOUTH Argyle are in pole position to win the battle to sign Josh Coburn on loan - but the deal will only get the green light if and when Boro get another forward through the door.

Michael Carrick is keen for Coburn to benefit from another season of regular football on the back of his year at Bristol Rovers, with a move to Home Park and a chance to test himself week in, week out in the Championship the logical next step for the 21-year-old.

But Boro won't risk leaving themselves short up-top and the Coburn deal will only go through if another frontman arrives at the Riverside.

Boro want to sign a striker, a No.10 and a midfielder ahead of next Friday's deadline. Emmanuel Latte Lath arrived to bolster the forward line last week and impressed on his debut against Huddersfield, but Boro are targeting one more striker as well as looking for a forward player to replace Chuba Akpom after his move to Ajax.

Coburn scored 10 goals during his spell in League One with Bristol Rovers last season before returning to Boro at the start of the summer and signing a new long-term contract. Boro have high hopes for the striker in the future but would rather he benefited from another year of regular action this season rather than risk slowing his development on the fringes of the first team at the Riverside.

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The striker missed a bulk of pre-season through injury but is fit again now and has been a substitute for the first three league games this season, coming off the bench for the late stages of the defeat at Coventry.

Carrick dropped a strong hint a couple of weeks ago that he was keen for Coburn to go out on loan again, saying: “It’s dependent on how other things go. We have a clear idea of what the plan is for Josh, and what we want it to look like in terms of our squad.

"There are a couple of ifs and buts at this stage, as you always expect. But we certainly have a plan, and hopefully it will play out like that."

Several clubs have been monitoring Coburn's situation, but Plymouth look set to win the race to sign the striker. If the deal goes through, it will be a season-long loan.

Meanwhile, Boro's Under-21s captain Jack Stott has joined York City on a short-term loan. The 19-year-old impressed for the first team in pre-season. He has linked up with the National League side until January.