Middlesbrough are looking to the January transfer window to bolster their attacking options.
They bounced back from defeat against Derby with a pulsating 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, but Jonathan Woodgate’s side remain in the relegation zone.
Chairman Steve Gibson is reportedly looking to January to get new faces through the door and to help Boro climb out of the bottom three and away to safety.
One player they identified as a potential target in the summer was Fleetwood Town winger Wes Burns. The move didn’t materialise, but according to The Sun (print edition 10th November, page 59), Middlesbrough have reignited their interest.
Burns has four assists in 17 games so far this season, and has been hailed as ‘outstanding’ by manager Joey Barton.
Marvin Johnson is Middlesbrough’s only recognised winger at the club at present. Marcus Tavernier, Marcus Browne and Hayden Coulson have all been utilised on the wing, but the trios natural positions are as number 10s, or in Coulson’s case, at left back.
Barton is likely to want to keep Burns at the club, at least until the end of the season. Fleetwood are fifth in League One, and Burns has been integral to getting them into this position. They could mount a serious promotion charge this campaign, and will be hard pushed to part with their winger as early as January.
Middlesbrough have already bought two players from League One clubs in the summer, with Marc Bola and Anfernee Dijksteel arriving from Blackpool and Charlton respectively. The signing of Burns would match their transfer strategy of signing younger players with potential for smaller fees.
