Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson is keen to leave the club to give himself the best chance of making the England squad for next year’s World Cup according to a report from The Telegraph.
While Middlesbrough were not great on their return to the Premier League, eventually getting relegated just a year after they were promoted to the league, Gibson ended up being one of the stars of the season as he consistently impressed even when the team around him didn’t. This even led to him getting his first ever England cap last season.
And is that which is making Gibson want to leave Teesside. Even though he loves Middlesbrough and the fact his uncle Steve Gibson is the owner of the club, he knows that playing in the Sky Bet Championship will damage his chances of getting into the England squad. And with the 2018 World Cup being next summer, Gibson believes he will have to play in the Premier League if he wants to be heading with the rest of the England squad to Russia.
The 24-year-old defender isn’t looking to force his way out of the club, his relationship with the owner would mean that Christmases would be awkward for the rest of time if that happened, but he does hope that Middlesbrough won’t stand in his way. The club are looking to make as much money as possible out of this and are looking to get at least £20m for Gibson, something that none of the interested teams have come close to matching yet.
