And, according to reports in Korea, it has been claimed Lee and his advisor, Denis D'Arcy, have been informed by Boro the player has no future on Teesside.
"Middlesbrough have an accreditation to Dong-Gook's agent that he can start to look for a club to move the player on," said a Seoul-based source.
Despite Lee's failure to come to terms with life in the Premier League, it was also suggested Middlesbrough are looking to sell the player rather than allow him to leave on a free when the transfer window opens in January.