Stoke City are interested in signing Middlesbrough’s Paddy McNair, as per a report by the Sunday Life.
The Potters are in the hunt for reinforcements after securing their place in the Championship again for next season.
McNair, who is 25 years old, knows Stoke boss Michael O’Neill well from playing under him for Northern Ireland and could reunite with him at the Bet365 Stadium this summer.
The versatile midfielder still has a couple of years left on his contract at the Riverside Stadium.
Stoke are also being linked with an ambitious move for Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis, though a deal for him would be both pricey and unlikely.
McNair is a more realistic target for the Staffordshire side and would be a useful acquisition if they can lure him away from Neil Warnock’s side.
He started his career with Ballyclare Colts before moving to England as a youngster to join Manchester United. He went onto make 27 appearances for the Premier League giants.
Sunderland then paid £5.5 million to sign him and Donald Love from the Red Devils in 2016. McNair spent two years at the Stadium of Light, scoring seven goals in 28 games for the Black Cats.
Middlesbrough came calling for him in June 2018 but he could be on the move again over the coming months with Stoke being linked with a swoop.
In other Stoke news, The72 looked at why they should target Oxford United midfielder Mark Sykes.
