The agent of Fabio Rochemback insists he has not given up hope of securing his client a move back to Sporting Lisbon, although Middlesbrough insist there is no chance of the midfielder being allowed to leave The Riverside on loan.
Rochemback has featured only sporadically under Boro boss Gareth Southgate this term and has made clear his desire to secure a switch to Sporting.
Southgate stated on Thursday that he would be happy for the player to remain on Teesside, but the Brazilian and his agent Horacio Gaggioli appear determined to engineer a move back to Portugal.
"Still Fabio would like to return to Sporting and we will continue negotiating to find a solution," Gaggioli explained.
"That could take one day or one week because in the world of football things change daily.
"The idea of Fabio is to search for an agreement and I believe that the doors are not totally shut."
However, Boro remain adamant that the one-time Barcelona man will not depart the club unless Sporting submit a permanent offer that satisfies their demands.
The Portuguese club seem reluctant to consent with a loan switch their preferred option, but Boro chief executive Keith Lamb is insistent that alternative is a non-starter.
"A loan deal is impossible now," Lamb told O Jogo. "If Sporting Lisbon want the player they need to present a concrete offer and we will study it. But there won't be a loan."