Middlesbrough have had a second bid for Craig Conway rejected by Dundee United. The English Championship club had improved on their initial bid of £600,000 for the winger but have not met United’s asking price.

STV Sport understands that the offer made by Boro was £750,000 but that United want are only prepared to let Conway go for £800,000.

Gordon Strachan has been tracking the Scotland international all summer and is keen to add the player to his squad before the transfer window closes for English clubs at 6pm tonight. United had initially insisted that they wanted a seven figure sum for the player but have since lowered their asking price.

United manager Peter Houston has said that he hopes a bid is not accepted as he wished to hold on to one of his key players. Conway was an instrumental part of the side that clinched third place in the SPL last season and won the Scottish Cup.

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Conway, who is 24 years old, made the breakthrough at Ayr United in April 2003 as a 17-year-old. After three seasons of regular football in Ayrshire, he went from playing Forfar Athletic in the Second Division in his last game with the Somerset Park side to facing Rangers and Celtic within a matter of months.

He then made his Scotland debut under George Burley in the 2-0 friendly defeat away to Japan and was been a virtual ever-present for united last season.

The winger’s previous club, Ayr United, will be paying close attention to developments at Tannadice. The Honest Men have a sell-on clause that entitles them to 20 per cent of any transfer fee that Dundee United receive.

Should Middlesbrough increase their offer, Conway would join what is already a sizeable ex-SPL community at the Riverside Stadium.

Boro manager Gordon Strachan already has Kris Boyd, Scott McDonald, Barry Robson, Kevin Thomson, Andy Halliday and Steven McManus on the books at the Championship club.