Championship outfit Boro reportedly wanted to bring ex-Sunderland striker Wickham back to the North East from Premier League side Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace have decided to keep Connor Wickham at Selhurst Park until the end of the season despite interest from Middlesbrough, according to the Northern Echo.
The Mirror (19 December, page 65) reported that Boro were keen to offer Wickham a fresh start after a disastrous two years at Palace which have been ruined by a relentless series of injury problems.
The report added fellow North East outfit Sunderland were also keen. Wickham spent four years at the Stadium of Light between 2011 and 2015, scoring 15 goals in 91 games before joining The Eagles for £8 million (BBC).
But the Northern Echo has provided an update on Wednesday, pointing out that Crystal Palace have no interest in letting Wickham go before the end of the month with Middlesbrough understood to still be interested.
This comes after the former Ipswich Town wonderkid scored on his return to the Palace XI in Sunday’s FA Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur. This was Wickham’s first start in 792 days and his first goal since November 2016.
The Northern Echo adds that Boro have another couple of striker targets before the transfer deadline, however, with Brentford’s Neal Maupay and Birmingham City’s Isaac Vassell in their sights.
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