Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing is in his second spell with the club.
According to a report in The Telegraph, Middlesbrough have told Stewart Downing he can leave this month after it emerged a clause in his contract could entitle him to a new and improved deal.
The Telegraph report states Downing, who joined the club on a four-year deal in 2015, would receive an extension on his £35,000-per-week deal if he makes 150 appearances for the club.
Right now, the former Liverpool winger is standing on 149 appearances, with his latest coming off the bench during Boro’s 1-1 home draw with Millwall on Saturday.
Downing is in his second spell at the Teesside club. He originally came through the youth ranks at Boro and made over 230 appearances in all competitions before departing for Aston Villa.
The 34-year-old then had spells at Liverpool and West Ham, before surprisingly returning to Championship side Boro having made 37 top-flight appearances for the Hammers the season before.
Downing has been an almost ever-present since, and this season he has started 22 league games as manager Tony Pulis looks to guide the club back to the Premier League.
It is claimed in the report that Boro are battling to lower their wage bill following big spending, and it’s because of this that they are looking to offload Downing now as they have no reason to keep him on with the intentions of releasing him this summer.
With Boro gunning for promotion but lacking in both goals and creativity, not being able to count on Downing for the season run-in could prove to be a bitter blow for Pulis.
The Teesside club are currently fifth in the Championship table, and only four teams have scored fewer goals this term.
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