According to Wayne Veysey of The Football Insider, former-Middlesbrough defender George Friend is attracting attention from a whole host of Championship clubs.
Friend impressed the new Boro boss Neil Warnock enough to have been offered a new deal by Middlesbrough. But the left-back is weighing up his options amongst interest from Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, and Swansea City.
The report states that if he was to remain at The Riverside on a new deal, he would need to take a pay cut, as Middlesbrough want to reign in spending for the up and coming campaign. Friend may not want to do this and could look for a new challenge in the Championship.
The 32-year old signed for the Teessiders in 2012 for a fee believed to be in the region of just £100,000. He arrived from Doncaster Rovers having previously had spells at Exeter City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall, Southend United and Scunthorpe United.
Since then he has gone on to make nearly 300 appearances for Middlesbrough, captaining the side on plenty of occasions. He was key figure in the squad that got Boro promoted to the Premier League in 2016, and he played 24 times in the top flight the following season.
No matter who he signs for this summer, he would add a wealth of experience to the ranks. Neil Warnock’s side will be hoping for Friend to sign an extension at the club, along with Marvin Johnson, who was also offered a new deal at the end of last season.