Middlesbrough still tracking £1million striker plus Chuba Akpom reports: Transfer news
Middlesbrough completed the signing of Uche Ikpeazu from Wycombe Wanderers earlier this month – yet manager Neil Warnock is still looking to bolster his attacking options.
The Boro boss has a list of several players who the club are tracking, one of which is Rotherham frontman Michael Smith.
Smith, 29, is believed to be valued at around £1million by The Millers, who were relegated from the Championship last season.
According to Rotherham boss Paul Warne, there are multiple teams interested in Smith.
"I speak to a lot of people a lot of the time and I know Smudge is on a lot of people's shopping lists,” Warne told The Rotherham Advertiser.
"But I think a lot of clubs also appreciate how fundamental he is to our club and that there's no point offering a paltry amount of money to get him out of here.
"It isn't the case that Middlesbrough are his only fans. I think a lot of clubs in the Championship are his fans.
"If Smudge doesn't go, it might be because everyone's a little bit cash-poor at the moment because of the times we've been living in.
"We think the world of Smudge here. He's been brilliant for us. I want him to have a good career but someone coming in with, like, £250,000 for him is never going to work.
"In the Championship, a lot of clubs are in a lot of trouble. I don't dispute the fact that clubs want him but I don't know how many of them can actually buy him."
Chuba Akpom reports
At the end of last season Warnock said he wanted to sign three new strikers – which cast doubt over Chuba Akpom’s future at the club.
The 25-year-old only joined the Teessiders in September 2020 but scored just five goals in 38 Championship appearances during the 2020/21 campaign.
Reports in Turkey have claimed that Super Lig side Besiktas are interested in signing Akpom this summer.
According to Turkish journalist Fatih Dogan, Besiktas are working hard to bring ex-Chelsea man Diego Costa to the club, but Akpom is an alternative option.
Akpom signed a three-year deal at Boro for an undisclosed fee.