Middlesbrough and Birmingham City are both keen on signing Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan, according to the Yorkshire Post.
The Scotland international has been a key player for Sheffield Wednesday over recent seasons and they could face a battle to hold onto him this summer.
Middlesbrough are keen to bolster their squad ahead of the next campaign as they look to mount another promotion push to the Premier League. Their manager, Tony Pulis, is believed to be a fan of Barry Bannan and wants to bring him to the Riverside to boost his midfield options.
Boro will have to face competition from Championship rivals Birmingham City for his signature. The Blues avoided relegation to League One again last season and do not want to be in another relegation scrap in the next campaign. Garry Monk has drawn up a list of summer targets and Bannan could be high on his list.
Bannan joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2015 and has helped them get to the Play-Offs in two of his three seasons at Hillsborough. He has played 105 games for the Owls.
The 28-year-old played for Celtic as a youngster before he moved to England in 2004 to join Aston Villa. Bannan rose through the youth ranks at Villa Park and went onto play 83 games for them in the Premier League. He has had loan spells at Derby County, Blackpool and Leeds United.
He moved to Crystal Palace in 2013 and spent two seasons playing for them in the top flight before moving to Sheffield Wednesday two years later. Bannan is now an experienced midfielder and is one who the Owls will not want to lose.
