Middlesbrough have joined Crystal Palace in the race to sign goalkeeper Alex Bass from Portsmouth, according to The News.
Given that Neil Warnock has rotated between Dejan Stojanovic and Aynsley Pears since returning to the dugout at the Riverside, it is perhaps no surprise to learn that the North East outfit are looking for reinforcements between the sticks.
Despite the fact that he has only been playing first-team football since the turn of the year, youngster Bass has already played his way on to Warnock’s radar.
The News reports that Middlesbrough are the second club to show an interest in the 22-year-old Pompey academy graduate.
Bass also has admirers at Crystal Palace, with Wayne Hennessey and Vicente Guaita both in the autumn of their careers.
The report adds that Bass is under contract until 2023, meaning Portsmouth will be free to demand a sizeable fee for a man who replaced the more experienced Connor McGillivray between the sticks in January and never looked back.
But perhaps the 2008 FA Cup winners could be tempted to cash in and use the funds to reinforce a squad which narrowly missed out on a return to the Championship under Kenny Jackett this season.
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