ANDERLECHT are said to have been priced out of a move for Rav van den Berg this summer - which comes as no surprise given Middlesbrough's strong stance when it comes to keeping hold of their star assets.

According to reports in Belgium, Anderlecht were keen on the Dutch defender but deemed the 20-year-old "too expensive" and have now moved on to other targets.

Van den Berg has long been on the radar of some of Europe's biggest clubs, with several snubbed last summer by the centre-half when he instead opted to join Boro. His reputation has been further enhanced after an outstanding first season in England, which meant transfer interest was always inevitable this summer.

But Boro made their transfer stance crystal clear at the start of the summer when head of football Kieran Scott told of how Steve Gibson was "bullish" in his desire to not just keep van den Berg but also hold on to other stars such as Hayden Hackney and Emmanuel Latte Lath.

And on van den Berg specifically, Scott said: "Rav is really happy. I think Rav stays another year minimum.

"If he has another season where he's fantastic and we go up, I think he stays again. If he has a great season and we don't then we might have a problem. But he's part of it. He's a smart boy, a bright kid."

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Van den Berg joined Boro last summer rather than a giant European club because he was desperate to continue his rapid development with regular football and a year after the move he's delighted with the decision he made.

Speaking to the Northern Echo at the end of last season after scooping the club's Player and Young Player of the Year awards, he said: “Of course, I am really happy now.

"Sometimes it is not always just your own decision. I don’t feel I have any reason to leave here. But you never know in football, is the only thing I can say. It’s not always fully the player’s decision.

"But I am really happy right now and we will see what the summer brings. I’m really at home here, the dressing room is a really close place to be which is really important. If we all stick around next year, I believe we can have a really good year."

Anderlecht are by no means the only club to have been keeping tabs on van den Berg but Boro are in a position of real strength. As he explains above, van den Berg is happy on Teesside, Boro are under no pressure to make a big sale this summer, hence their desire to keep hold of their stars, and the defender still has three years to run on the contract he signed when he joined last year.

Boro have held talks with van den Berg over a new and improved contract, with the defender set to play a leading role as Michael Carrick's side go in search of promotion this coming season.