MICHAEL CARRICK has given a glimmer of hope that Middlesbrough could have a new signing through the door ahead of next weekend’s Championship season opener with Swansea City.

Boro completed their pre-season programme yesterday as Delano Burgzorg’s stoppage-time penalty secured a 1-0 win over Dutch side Heerenveen.

Burgzorg is one of two senior players to have arrived on Teesside so far this summer – Aidan Morris also moved from the United States – with Boro also having turned Luke Ayling’s initial loan move into a permanent transfer.

The Teessiders remain locked in talks with Bristol City over Tommy Conway, with the forward understood to be keen on a move to the Riverside. Boro have tabled a formal offer worth around £5m for Conway, who has one more year of his current contract at Ashton Gate remaining, but face competition from Burnley, who are attempting to engineer a swap deal for the striker involving at least one of their own players.

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The situation has not really changed in the last week, but with Boro also assessing their options at left-back in the wake of Alex Bangura’s Achilles operation, Carrick has suggested that there could be movement ahead of next weekend.

“Will there be anything happening before the start of the season? Honestly, I’m not sure,” said the Boro boss. “Maybe. Maybe there’s a slight possibility.

“We’re pretty calm, I think. I’ve said that all summer. I thought (against Heerenveen) you saw the balance of the team and the balance of the squad again.

“We’re certainly not desperately chasing anything. It’s a good place for us to be in, to not have to do that. But that certainly doesn’t stop us from trying to improve and make things better. It might be next week, it might not be next week, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

One area where Carrick does not envisage any changes, however, is in the goalkeeping department, with the Boro boss keen to hold on to Seny Dieng, Sol Brynn and Tom Glover.

While Zach Hemming has left on loan to Leyton Orient and Jamie Jones turned down the offer of a new deal in order to join Salford City, Boro still find themselves with three highly-rated senior goalkeepers.

Whether any will be particularly content at being a number three next season is a moot point, but Carrick does not want to make any changes to his current goalkeeping contingent.

“We’ve got three really good goalkeepers that will push each other and challenge each other,” he said. “Just like the rest of the squad does. I don’t think it’s any different to that.

“We’re lucky enough to have that, with goalkeepers at different stages (of their development). Sol’s been away on loan and come back, Tom’s been here and had a big experience last year, playing some games, and Seny, as we know, has played a lot of games for us. I think we’re in a good position with three really good goalkeepers.”