Clubs are queuing for Sheffield United defender Matthew Kilgallon - including Middlesbrough.

The Sunday Sun says with his current three-year contract due to run out in the summer, talks over a new deal appear to have stalled.

The Blades boss Kevin Blackwell maintains the club have tabled an appealing new offer to the defender, but Kilgallon denied such claims in an interview broadcast last week.

"It's an ongoing process," Blackwell said when questioned on the subject yesterday.

Should any agreement fail to materialise, Boro would be free to talk to Kilgallon in January, when he is able to sign a pre-contract arrangement with a new club.

However, the Teessiders are likely to face competition from Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan and Burnley for his signature.