Middlesbrough reportedly want £25million for Liverpool and Spurs target Ben Gibson.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson applauds fans
According to The Express, Middlesbrough have slapped a £25million asking price on defender Ben Gibson’s head, amid interest from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Gibson, 24, has come up through the ranks with Boro having joined the club at the age of just 12, and has become a key first-team player following loan spells with Plymouth Argyle, York City and Tranmere Rovers.
The centre back played a key role in Boro’s promotion to the Premier League last season, racking up 33 league appearances under Aitor Karanka as Gibson helped marshal an outstanding defence.
That has largely stayed the same this season; Gibson has been vital for Boro, helping them boast one of the league’s best defensive records – but goals at the other end have been in short supply too, meaning Boro lie in the relegation zone.
With Gibson called up to the England squad this month, interest in his signature is mounting – and Boro’s relegation could see the Premier League’s big boys attempt summer moves to land Gibson.
The Express report that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham are all keen to sign Gibson this summer, but Middlesbrough have told them to pay £25million to land the centre back.
Middlesbrough’s Jonathan Woodgate celebrates promotion to the Premier League
Boro chairman Steve Gibson is the defender’s uncle, and he will be fighting to keep his nephew at the Riverside Stadium, with Jonathan Woodgate a potential factor in the saga.
Former Boro defender Woodgate as named as a key man in the deal by the Daily Mail, as he was working in a scouting capacity for Liverpool, and having struck up a strong relationship with Gibson at Middlesbrough, he was hoping to lure him to Anfield.
Now though, Boro have brought Woodgate back to the club as a first-team coach, and whilst he has ties to Tottenham having played for the club, he could end up helping Gibson stay on Teesside this summer.
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