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Wantaway Middlesbrough midfielder Stewart Downing has reportedly handed in a transfer request.

The 24-year-old has emerged as a target for Tottenham this January and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already lodged a bid for the winger.

But Boro are determined to keep one of their biggest stars and club chief executive Keith Lamb dismissed the bid - thought to be in the region of £6 million - from the White Hart Lane outfit as "derisory".

Manager Gareth Southgate has repeatedly insisted the England international is simply not for sale.

However, Downing's decision to submit a transfer request could force their hand with Southgate admitting when striker Ayegbeni Yakubu made it clear his future lay away from the Riverside Stadium that there was no point in hanging on to players who did not want to be there.

On Sunday Southgate claimed Downing has remained unaffected by speculation over his future after his starring role in the FA Cup victory over Barrow.

The Boro boss said: "Stewart played in the middle of the park for us on Monday night (at Manchester United) and I think it has given him something else to focus on. It has given him a freshness and I think it gave us a bit more creativity."

Southgate is under no pressure to sell, although he had made no secret of the fact that he will have to raise his own funds if he wants to buy this month.

Boro value Downing at closer to the £15m mark but it remains to be seen whether or not Spurs, who have been admirers for several years, are prepared to go to anywhere near what would be a record transfer fee received by the Teessiders.

Downing signed a new five-year contract on February last year, but it is understood he has become increasingly unsettled in recent months and is now ready to test himself away from the club where he has become the highest-profile graduate of a productive academy.

The local boy has won 21 senior England caps to date, the last of them in the 2-1 win over Germany in Berlin in November, a game which earned him impressive reviews.

Boro are also on the verge of losing Mido during January.

According to the striker's brother, a number of Premier League sides have already been in contact to express their interest in signing the 25-year-old Egypt international.

"Mido is on the verge of leaving Middlesbrough because he wants to play regularly," Hossam Wasfi told FilGoal.

"He was approached by some mid-table clubs in England, but is still considering his options regarding the next move."

Wigan had looked the most likely bidders for Mido, but his brother insisted this was an unlikely move.

"I don't think Mido is tempted by Wigan, even though they are interested," he added.

Sporting Life / Eurosport