Austrian star wants move

Austrian Rene Aufhauser has admitted he would love the chance to play in England.

Boro, along with a number of other Premiership sides including Everton, had Aufhauser watched last week as he played twice against Wales.

The Grazer AK star scored the winner in the second encounter and underlined his burgeoning reputation.

Boro were alerted to Aufhauser's ability during their Uefa Cup campaign, which saw them face Grazer.

Despite Boro beating the Austrians over two legs, Aufhauser impressed greatly in a defensive midfield role and Steve McClaren wanted a closer look at him and so sent chief scout Don MacKay to Vienna to check on him.

Aufhauser, who can also play in defence and attack, is valued at around £2 million by GAK, but reports in Austria suggest he could be sold for less than half that - even though he has two years left on his contact at The Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium.

Now the player himself admits he would love to play in one of Europe's top leagues.

"I know that scouts from Italy, England and Germany have been taking a closer look at me for one-and-a-half years now and that scouts were present for Austria's game in Wales too, but so far I haven't received any concrete offer yet," Aufhauser said.

"However, I have to admit that for any Austrian player it's a dream coming true to play in one of the leading leagues in Europe."