MIDDLESBROUGH defender Marc Bola has completed his move to Samsunspor, ending his four-year stay on Teesside.

Bola joined Boro from Blackpool in the summer of 2019 and went on to make 103 appearances for the club. He had a difficult first season at the Riverside but flourished under former boss Neil Warnock.

Bola was moving into the last 12 months of his contract on Teesside and with Boro looking to strengthen at left-back this summer, game-time would have been hard to come by this coming season.

He left Boro's camp in Portugal for transfer talks with Samsunspor last week and reached an agreement with the Turkish Super Lig newcomers, signing a two-year deal with the option of a further year.

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Signing a left-back is a priority for Boro this summer after Ryan Giles returned to Wolves on the back of his superb season on loan.

Boro remain interested in bringing Giles back to the club this summer and continue to monitor the left-back's situation as Wolves ponder the next step for the 23-year-old.

Giles, who is has two years left to run on his deal at Molineux, is known to have loved his time at Boro and would be keen on a return if the opportunity presented itself, but it all hangs on Wolves' decision. And if the Premier League club decide to sell permanently rather than sanction another loan, they'll be looking for a significant fee on the back of his success at the Riverside last season and with Leicester City also reportedly interested.

Earlier this summer, Matt Jackson, strategic player marketing manager at Wolves, said:  "We’re under no contract pressure, which is a great position for the club to be in. And then it is all about the coach making decisions for the make-up of his squad. We get calls from all over Europe about him.

“He now no longer looks like a winger playing at full-back, but it’s still fair to say that, because of the qualities he’s got, playing him high up the pitch is where you get the best return. He will then start to add goals to his game. Then you’ve got a really formidable force.

“This was his eighth loan and he has improved something in his game in each of them. He thinks about the game. You shouldn’t have favourites but he is one of my favourites, because he’s funny and personable and the fact he has fitted into every changing room and we’ve never heard one word of discontent speaks volumes about him. He’s a great character, and he’s going to have a great future in the game.”

Hayden Coulson will be hoping he can impress Michael Carrick over the course of the summer. He signed a new deal earlier this year while he was out on loan at Aberdeen and was part of the Boro squad in Portugal.