The Boro youngster was said to be on the Black Cats’ radar but he has penned a new deal at the Championship club.
Middlesbrough have announced that young striker Stephen Walker has signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with the club.
The Teesside-born player, who turned 18 in October, came through the ranks at the Riverside Stadium and has impressed at both youth and senior level this season.
As noted on the official Boro website, Walker made his first-team debut earlier this term, providing an assist for Ashley Fletcher in Boro’s Carabao Cup victory over Notts County.
He also came on as a substitute in the impressive 5-0 victory over Peterborough United in the FA Cup, again having a hand in goal for Fletcher.
At academy level, Walker scored a hat-trick in Boro’s recent Under-18s’ Premier League Cup quarter final victory over Everton.
Walker has also impressed for England’s youth teams, scoring a hat-trick for the Under-19s against Macedonia last October, as well as a further two in a European Championships qualifying match with Iceland the following month.
According to the Roker Report, Sunderland were interested in snapping the teenager up from their North-East rivals, but given Wednesday’s developments, to no avail.
Here is how some Boro fans reacted on Twitter to Walker’s new deal:
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