Hayden Coulson and Ashley Fletcher could be sold by Middlesbrough this summer as Ched Evans and Jack Stevens emerge as transfer targets for the Championship club, according to reports.
The Boro side that takes to the field at the start of 2021/22 may be very different from the one that fought back to claim a 1-1 draw with Watford on Easter Monday.
Marcus Bettinelli and Neeskens Kebano, who both started against the Hornets, are on loan from Premier League Fulham. Yannick Bolasie, scorer of a 77th minute equaliser yesterday, is also expected to leave when the summer window opens.
Britt Assombalonga, meanwhile, was left out of the squad entirely with his contract expiring in July.
And, according to the Northern Echo, left-back Coulson and striker Fletcher will also be allowed to leave.
The former, a 22-year-old academy graduate, has started only one Championship game since early November while the latter has scored just twice during an injury-hit campaign.
The Sun, however, claims Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock has set his sights on signing a centre-forward and a goalkeeper capable of taking Bettinelli’s place between the sticks.
The Boro boss is a big fan of 32-year-old Ched Evans, the physical Preston North End frontman who is due to become a free agent in the summer.
Jack Stevens, meanwhile, has been nothing short of a revelation since forcing his way into Oxford’s starting XI in December. A string of heroic performances have helped to catapult Karl Robinson’s side into the League One play-off picture.
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