Could the winger be off to one of Middlesbrough’s Championship rivals, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County or Nottingham Forest?
Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing
Sky Bet have installed Sheffield Wednesday as joint favourites to sign Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing this summer.
New Boro boss Garry Monk is said to have informed Downing he is free to leave the Riverside, and he could have plenty of suitors if the bookmaker’s early odds are anything to go by.
Wednesday are 4/1 to be Downing’s next club, level with newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion, who were linked with a move for the 32-year-old in Friday’s Northern Echo.
Owls boss Carlos Carvalhal is thought to be in the market for at least another wide player, but he could face competition from several Championship and Premier League sides should he pursue a move for the Middlesbrough outcast.
Sheffield Wednesday head coach Carlos Carvalhal
Midlands rivals Derby County and Nottingham Forest are next on the list, level at 7/1 with another top flight newcomer, Huddersfield Town.
Both clubs are said to have interest in wingers of their own, with Derby’s Tom Ince reportedly wanted by Huddersfield and Forest’s Ben Osborn, Newcastle.
Along with Middlesbrough, who return to the second tier after a season in the Premier League, Wednesday and Derby are among the early favourites for promotion this coming campaign.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are considered outsiders at this stage, having narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of 2016-17.
Derby manager Gary Rowett [left] with Nottingham Forest counterpart Mark Warburton
The full list:
Brighton and Hove Albion, Sheffield Wednesday – 4/1
Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town – 7/1
Leeds United, Sunderland – 9/1
Aston Villa, Birmingham City – 12/1
Hull City – 14/1
West Ham United – 18/1
To stay at Middlesbrough – 6/1
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
