Steve McClaren is ready to sign another Middlesbrough old boy with a £600,000 bid for Jonathan Greening.
Nottingham Forest boss McClaren wants Fulham midfielder Greening to join George Boateng in a reunion of ex-Riversiders.
Greening, 32, is prepared to leave Craven Cottage and McClaren could even offer him the captaincy in a bid to lure him to Forest.
Former Boro midfielder Boateng, 35, is training with Forest after leaving Greek side Skoda Xanthi last season and is considering a 12-month deal.
McClaren is also keen on signing free agent Bolo Zenden, 34, after his exit from Sunderland.
He said: "I want role models, because the squad is relatively young.
"We want to set Premier League standards from the beginning and, in terms of players we bring in, ideally we would like to have that experience."