Middlesbrough have had their long-standing interest in Genk striker Jelle Vossen knocked back for a second time, prompting an angry reaction from the Belgium forward who wants the club to let him leave, according to Sky Sports. Boro made a second bid for Vossen of around £3.2million over the weekend but it was way off the club's £7.9million valuation, having already turned down a bid of £5.6million from Russian club Rubin Kazan back in January.
Boro have been interested in the forward since Tony Mowbray was in charge, and had a £4million bid turned down in the closing hours of last summer's transfer window. Despite his 12 goals in the Belgian league, Genk struggled and limped to sixth place, missing out on European qualification, with Vossen eventually missing out on Belgium's World Cup squad even despite the injury-forced withdrawal of Christian Benteke. Despite a change of management to former Real Madrid man Aitor Karanka, Boro remain keen on Vossen after receiving a glowing report from their extensive scouting network.
Genk chairman Herbert Houben has complained to Het Nieuwsblad that “A bid of Euro 4m is not enough for a player of this calibre”, but Vossen has stated that he is "bitterly disappointed" with the club's response, adding his frustration that it is seemingly "all about the money". Despite the success of Belgian players in the Premier League, Vossen seems realistic about his worth, saying "four million is a good amount for a Belgian striker. If they're waiting for a bid of seven million, they could be waiting for a long time. Certainly after last season. I've lost my place in the World Cup squad and we aren't even playing in the Europa League. I'm ready for a transfer abroad and I would find Middlesbrough a good challenge".
However, Vossen is not the only target on Boro's radar as they look to replace Marvin Emnes and Lukas Jutkiewicz, who is widely expected to leave in the coming weeks. Sunderland look ready to cut their losses on Boro academy graduate Danny Graham, who spent the second half of last season on loan on Teesside; another loan bid or an offer of around £1million would reportedly be enough to prise the striker away from the Stadium of Light. Nigerian World Cup star Kenneth Omeruo is also likely to return for a second loan spell from Chelsea with both clubs and the player keen to finalise a deal after a successful spll last term.