Rangers target Britt Assombalonga is on his way out of Middlesbrough with Bristol City striker Famara Diedhiou potentially set to replace the £15m frontman at the Riverside, as reported by the Telegraph.
When Boro paid a club-record fee to bring Assombalonga to the North East in July 2017, they might have envisaged the former Nottingham Forest talisman firing an underachieving club to the Championship title and back into the Premier League.
It is fair to say things have worked out rather differently.
Four years on, with his contract expiring at the end of this season, the £15 million striker is expected to depart on a free transfer with Middlesbrough still very much a second-tier club.
GiveMeSport claimed on Wednesday that Steven Gerrard’s newly-crowned Premiership champions will offer Assombalonga a fresh start north of the border too.
Both Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos are facing uncertain futures at Ibrox. And Assombalonga, if he can avoid the sort of injury problems that have dogged his career, has the ability to score regularly in Scotland.
According to the Telegraph, Boro are already preparing for life without the one-time Watford youngster.
Diedhiou, Bristol City’s mercurial Senegal international, has been lined up as a ready-made replacement. He, too, will be a free agent on June 30th.
Neil Warnock’s side tried and failed to sign Diedhiou in January as well.
And, just last month, one of the league’s most naturally-gifted number nines showed Middlesbrough what they’re missing with two well-taken goals in a 3-1 win at the Riverside.
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