Southgate: We want to keep Yakubu

The Nigerian is being strongly linked with a £12million move to Manchester City, with former club Portsmouth also potential suitors, following reports the 24-year-old is unsettled on Teesside.

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Yakubu scored 16 goals for Boro last season, adding to his 19 from the previous campaign, but failed to strike after February and lost his place to Lee Dong-Gook for the final two games.

The player insisted he was happy at Boro when asked about his future last month, only to add that "anything is possible" if a big club was to make a major bid for his services.

But he has reported back for pre-season training - and ended his goal drought with a penalty in their 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin in Austria on Tuesday - and is Boro's main striking option despite the arrivals of Tuncay Sanli and Jeremie Aliadiere.

"Yakubu is still part of my plans, absolutely," said former England international Southgate.

"He has been with us in Austria and worked very hard with everybody else.

"I read the speculation the same as everybody else but we have had no contact from any other club.

"Whether people are trying to unsettle the player I don't know, but he seems very happy to be back with us having reported back from Nigeria and we are looking to him as being a big part of our team."

Southgate remains keen to bolster his squad with the right players ahead of Boro's Premier League opener with Blackburn on August 11, and after signing Sanli, Aliadiere and Jonathan Woodgate, is now chasing the signature of Charlton's Luke Young.

Boro have agreed a fee of £2.5million for the 28-year-old and the England international - who can play at left-back or centre-half - will join the club if he passes a medical and agrees personal terms.

But Southgate may not be finished yet, with Manchester United striker Alan Smith a possible target. Southgate added: "We are still looking to improve the squad.

"We've brought in three quality players this summer and I'm very relaxed about things.

"There are other targets that we are looking to get and I'm sure that come the start of the season we will have strengthened the side even more."