Ashley Fletcher has struggled big-time since his £6.5m move to Middlesbrough – so it seems that Championship rivals Leeds United won’t sign him permanently.
Ashley Fletcher enjoyed the best spell of a nomadic career during a 2015/16 loan at Burnley.
Heckingbottom could be in luck, because it is understood that Middlesbrough, who signed Fletcher for £6.5 million last summer, are hoping to ship the 22-year-out on loan this summer after he struggled during a loan at the now relegated Sunderland.
And perhaps the fact that Boro are hoping to let the former Manchester United man leave on a temporary basis is due to the fact that they know they have no chance of recouping the £6.5 million they paid West Ham last summer as things stand.
Gazette Live points out that Middlesbrough could look to sell Fletcher in the summer but they know they would have to accept a substantially reduced fee – and his hefty wages mean that many clubs at Championship level would struggle to afford him on a permanent contract.
So unless Leeds are willing to spend a substantial chunk of their summer transfer budget on signing a striker who has scored just two league goals in the last two years, it seems very unlikely that Fletcher will be moving to Elland Road on a permanent basis this summer.
And it would be better for Boro to loan the misfiring forward out for a year. It makes no sense to sell now as there will hardly be many clubs out there willing to meet their valuation.
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