WITH Middlesbrough’s players having returned to Rockliffe Park for the start of pre-season training this morning, the club are yet to make their first transfer breakthrough of the summer.

A cause for concern? Not really, although in an ideal world, Boro would probably have preferred to have got the ball rolling ahead of the start of pre-season. As it is, their transfer discussions remain ongoing, with Michael Carrick working closely with head of football Kieran Scott to prioritise targets and attempt to close out deals.

Plugging the gaps left by last season’s departing loanees is an obvious priority, with big gaps in both the goalkeeping position and at centre-forward.

Liam Roberts is currently Boro’s senior goalkeeper following the exit of Zack Steffen, but Carrick will want a new number one in place by the time the Championship season begins at the start of August.

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Newcastle’s Karl Darlow has been of interest to Boro for quite a while now, and despite competing interest from Hull and Blackburn, the Teessiders appear to have a good chance of landing the 32-year-old. Steffen remains an option, although his future is uncertain given both his knee surgery since the end of last season and his position at Manchester City, so another City player, James Trafford, has been touted as a possible Plan B if Darlow proves unobtainable.

At the other end of the field, it is unlikely that Boro will be able re-sign Cameron Archer given his success in the Championship last season and current involvement with England Under-21s at the Euros. If Archer is not featuring in Aston Villa’s first-team squad next season, he will almost certainly find himself elsewhere in the Premier League.

Aaron Ramsey is a more viable option, and come the end of the window, there is every chance Boro will be pushing for another loan deal for the Villa midfielder.

Even if he returns though, the Teessiders will still be short of attacking options unless they sign a natural number nine to replace Archer. Ideally, Boro would like to sign a striker on a permanent basis rather than rely on another loanee, but it remains to be seen whether they can push through a deal that will suit. All the signs point to an overseas acquisition, with Boro known to be prioritising players aged 26 and under.

In midfield, they continue to be linked with Manchester United’s Ethan Galbraith, a player Carrick knows well from his time on the Old Trafford club’s coaching staff and who spent last season impressing on loan at Salford.


INS: None


OUTS: Joe Lumley (released), Luke Daniels (released), Darnell Fisher (released), Grant Hall (released)


TARGETS: Karl Darlow, Ryan Giles, Aaron Ramsey, Ethan Galbraith, Cameron Archer