Smith is almost certain to leave Leeds if they are relegated, and the Boro manager said: "I've seen the stories in the papers and Alan is a player we certainly admire. There is bound to be plenty of interest if and when a striker of his undoubted quality becomes available. We will be expressing our interest."
He added: "There are lots of players we would like to bring here and we've got a lot of admiration for Smith and Viduka. There's going to be lots of speculation as the summer draws near. This week it's those two, who knows who we will be linked with next week?"