Middlesbrough have turned down an approach from Wolverhampton Wanderers to speak to manager Rob Edwards.
The Premier League’s bottom club made initial contact with the Championship side to express their interest in Edwards as a potential successor to Vitor Pereira, who was dismissed on Sunday following a 10-game winless start to the season.
Former Luton Town boss Edwards was among the frontrunners for the Wolves job, alongside ex-manager Gary O’Neil.
However, O’Neil withdrew from consideration on Monday after holding preliminary discussions with the club.
Edwards, 42, who played over 100 matches for Wolves between 2004 and 2008 and later served as a coach and interim manager in 2016, had emerged as the leading candidate for the role.
But his appointment is now uncertain, with Middlesbrough — currently third in the Championship — determined to retain him.
It is understood that Wolves would have to pay a substantial compensation fee to secure Edwards, who only took charge at the Riverside Stadium in June.
Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League with just two points from 10 matches, eight adrift of 17th-placed Burnley.
Edwards previously managed Forest Green Rovers, guiding them to promotion to League One in 2022, before a short spell at Watford that ended after 11 games.
