The former Hull City man is set to join Leicester City for big money, and this could mean Middlesbrough take inspiration from this.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson applauds fans after the game
Middlesbrough’s hierarchy would have been keeping a close eye on proceedings at fellow relegated side Hull City, who have just sold key defender Harry Maguire to Leicester City for a fee of around £17m, as reports Sky Sports.
Maguire’s departure isn’t so much of a surprise, as a player on the fringes of the England team is always bound to want to move to the top flight to boost his chances of further international duty, but what is surprising is the nature of the fee involved.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson scores their first goal
The former Sheffield United man was notably excellent in the second half of the 2016/17 season, which could explain why his fee is so high, but Boro executives will be thinking that if Hull can get that much for someone who had a brilliant second half of the season, how much would a player who had a whole exceptional season go for?
That’s a question they may be asking themselves shortly if Liverpool follow up on their interest for defender Ben Gibson, as reported by the Sun, with the paper claiming that Jurgen Klopp wants Gibson as a move for Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk is off the table.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson celebrates scoring their first goal
The same report from the Sun claims that a fee of around £20m may be enough to sway Boro’s minds, but having seen that a defender who probably isn’t as good as Gibson being sold for £4m less, that asking price will probably shoot up as Boro seek to claim as much as they can for their best defender.
Given Liverpool seem desperate for a centre back as well, Boro could also use that to their advantage if they come calling for Gibson, and one thing’s for certain – the 24-year-old won’t be going for peanuts.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson in action with Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin
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