Middlesbrough have entered into talks with Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto, according to reports in Brazil.
Middlesbrough had Aston Villa loanee Cameron Archer to depend on in the latter half of last season and will be looking to the summer transfer window to replace his goals.
Middlesbrough may have identified Alberto as the solution to that particular problem, with the Teessiders entering into talks with the striker as of last Friday according to reports in Brazil. However, no official offer has been submitted as of yet.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a successful loan spell at Corinthians in the second half of the 2021/22 season, scoring 11 goals in 23 starts. Yet a permanent move proved far less fruitful, grabbing just six goals across the entire subsequent campaign.
Despite this, Boro are keen to bring the Brazilian international to the Riverside Stadium in the hopes of turning his fortunes around and starring under head coach Michael Carrick.
Why a striker should be a priority for Boro…
In terms of natural number nines, Middlesbrough are currently short in numbers. Chuba Akpom dropped deeper, Marcus Forss played wide right, Matt Crooks was used up top as a stop-gap, and youngsters Josh Coburn and Sonny Finch aren’t likely to fill the void left by Archer just yet.
Therefore, a priority for Middlesbrough this summer should certainly be a striker, and by entering into talks with Alberto they look to be addressing this early enough to be able to get a deal over the line even before pre-season gets underway.
The only issue is that Alberto is unproven, and adapting from Brazilian football to the Championship could be a tough task. Boro will be hoping this isn’t the case, and he can be the difference maker between promotion and another season in the second tier.
