Latest Teesside headlines straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

BORO may be ready to gamble on an audacious big money move for Stewart Downing if they think he can help secure promotion - but the mooted loan move from Liverpool will not happen this week.

Boro are believed to be weighing up a Riverside return for a proven player who could be the final piece of the Premier League promotion jigsaw.

But a lot of other bits would need to fall into place before then to make a bid for the Teesside viable.

No formal approach has been made and no decision is likely be made on whether to push ahead with any ambitious - and expensive - move until January.

The Middlesbrough-born England international flanker has been left in limbo at Liverpool after being told he does not feature in the plans of new boss Brendan Rodgers and can leave.

His £19m move from Aston Villa has turned sour with the arrival of the former Swansea manager and he has been told to find himself a new club.

Liverpool boss Rodgers is happy to let Downing go out on loan if no buyer can be found when the January window opens.

And the Pallister Park lad has let it be known he would be keen on a short term switch back home to Teesside.

So all the counters are in place for a prospective move that would suit all parties.

But it is understood that Boro bosses have categorically ruled out any move for the flying flanker before the 5pm Thursday loan deadline.

They may, however, be better placed to put together a package for the Pallister Park flying flanker when the January transfer window opens - if the circumstances are right. >>>

If Boro were in a position to make a serious push for promotion to the Premier League they may be prepared to gamble on bringing in a player that could give them a crucial edge.

Being within touching distance of an automatic promotion spot - and the prospect of hitting the top flight cash jackpot - would sharpen the minds of club chiefs.

If they believed Downing, a key player in Boro’s UEFA Cup adventures and a proven pin-point passer and assist king, could make the difference then they may be ready to sanction a move that would strain

the budget.

Boro have gone through a spell of cost-cutting and wage-trimming and there is little wriggle room in what remains one of the biggest wage bills in the division.

But club chiefs are determined to regain elite status and will back boss Tony Mowbray to the hilt and if they thought one big signing would swing the promotion odds their way then they would try to make

it happen.

Boro made a similar move last season in January when a top two spot in the Championship and crowds higher than the club had budgeted for persuaded Steve Gibson to find the funds to finance a £1.6m move for Mowbray’s top transfer target, striker Lukas Jutkiewicz.

Any such move this term would again depend on an marked upturn in the club finances - and that could come down chiefly to an increase in attendances at the Riverside.

Downing is reported to be earning £80,000 a week so Boro would need Liverpool to fund a massive chunk of that to make any move viable.

And gate money is the key factor in Boro being able to afford their share.

Attendances have been lower than expected this season - although a cut-price ticket offer for the last home game led to a 28,000 gate for Sheffield Wednesday and it is hoped that another attractive package

will produce similar bumper crowds.

Rising crowds and a sustained promotion challenge could again persuade the club to take a gamble.