MICHAEL CARRICK is aware of the growing speculation surrounding Seny Dieng, but insists he is not perturbed by suggestions that clubs from across Europe are monitoring the Middlesbrough goalkeeper.

Reports this week have claimed Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town are both considering summer bids for Dieng, along with Spanish La Liga side Sevilla.

The Senegal international joined Boro from QPR last summer for a fee of around £2m, and given that he is contracted to the Riverside until 2027, the Teessiders are in an extremely strong position if they find themselves fielding formal offers.

They will not want to lose a player who immediately established himself as the club’s number one after leaving Loftus Road, and who has produced a series of impressive displays this season, both in terms of shot-stopping and distributing the ball effectively from the back.

However, there is the potential for them to more than double their money if they were to sell this summer, with Tom Glover having proved himself as a capable number two and youngster Sol Brynn having impressed during a loan spell at Leyton Orient.

“That’s (the speculation over Dieng) the nature of the beast,” said Carrick, whose side host Swansea City at the Riverside tomorrow. “I don’t take too much interest in anything like that. We know the squad we’ve got, the players we’ve got and what they’re capable of. In terms of who is linked with who and what’s going on, it doesn’t bother me.”

Nevertheless, Dieng’s future looks like being a hot topic this summer, with the 29-year-old one of a number of players who could find themselves commanding transfer interest in the close season.

Last season, Zach Steffen was one of Boro’s key performers as they made the play-off semi-finals, with his ability to handle the ball under pressure a major part of the possession-based style Carrick introduced after his appointment.

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Replacing the former Manchester City loanee was always going to be a key component of Boro’s squad building last summer, with Dieng quickly identified as the club’s preferred target.

The Senegalese shot-stopper has certainly lived up to his billing, with his ability to replicate Steffen’s distribution and positioning having enabled Boro to adopt a similar overall style to the one that served them so effectively last term.

“He’s (Steffen) done it ever so well, as has Tom (Glover) when he’s played,” said Carrick. “That’s how we want it to look like and it’s something that we expect and ask for.

“It suits the individuals and is about playing to their strengths because the players that we’ve brought in have been with that in mind. He’s done that really well. As a goalkeeper, you want them to be as stable and as calm as possible, like Seny is, and that ultimately helps everybody else.”

Dieng’s return from the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Africa Cup of Nations has coincided with a marked improvement in Boro’s defensive record.

Carrick’s side have conceded just one goal in their last five matches, and while Sheffield Wednesday were largely bereft of an attacking threat on Monday, Dieng nevertheless made a crucial save when he turned Ike Ugbo’s goal-bound effort around the post.

While Glover made the occasional big save during his spell in the side, Boro’s defence has looked much more reliable with Dieng stationed between the sticks, although Carrick is quick to praise the collective improvement in the last month or so rather than single out any individuals.

“It’s a collective team thing,” he said. “The boys have been defended well right from the front and that’s so important that we get that. Hopefully, that dilutes the work behind that that everyone has to do.

“It makes everyone’s job that little bit easier. In an ideal world, we want to goalkeeper to have next to nothing to do. At times Seny has had to make some big saves for us and other times he has been a little bit quieter - Tom before him also.

“There are a lot of factors, but ultimately, as a team and as a group, we’ve been and need to continue being more solid and working better as a group.”