Middleborough Manager Tony Mowbray has publicly confirmed his interest in signing Gambian hopeful Mustapha Carayol for the first time. The winger is among three players strongly linked with summer moves to Boro but the manager has kept his own counsel on the situation until now.

According to Mowbray, talks have taken place with Bristol Rovers over Carayol's availability. Mowbray wants Carayol, 23, but won't pay over the odds for the left-sided attacking midfielder. "I've had a conversation with his club", he confirmed, "and if it gets to a point where we think the figure they want exceeds our valuation we'll move to another target and we do have other targets for his position" he added.

Rovers boss Mark McGhee last month has admitted that keeping hold of the in-demand wide-man Mustapha Carayol will be difficult. The club has already turned down two offers for the player, believed to have been from Barnsley and Derby County, over the last six months and have offered Carayol a new and improved deal to extend his contract beyond the end of next season.

Carayol, however, is understood to be keen to test himself at a higher level and would welcome a move to the Championship and has yet to put pen-to-paper on the offer. McGhee admitted that it would be difficult to stand in the Gambian's ambition to improve himself - but has warned potential suitors that Rovers will not budge on their valuation of a player that they signed from Lincoln City for an undisclosed fee.