Director hints Middlesbrough have ‘reached an agreement’ to sign £4.5m striker

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With Metz rejecting their approach for Cheikh Sabaly, with Danny Ings joining Sheffield United, and with those David Strelec links cooling, Middlesbrough appeared to be a club running out of time.

Despite a flying start under Rob Edwards – well, if you ignore that bizarre Carabao Cup defeat by Doncaster Rovers – this still feels like a Boro side short of a reliable centre-forward.

Tommy Conway scored during Middlesbrough’s 2-1 win at Norwich City on Saturday. But that was only his 14th in 41 matches since joining from Bristol City.

If the Championship pacesetters are to maintain a promotion challenge, a forward capable of emulating the success of Emmanuel Latte Lath or Chuba Akpom could be the difference between a Premier League return and another near-miss.

Fortunately, despite hitting the buffers with Cheikh Sabaly and co, their pursuit of Lausanne Sport sensation Kaly Sene is heading very much in the right direction.

Chief football correspondent Graeme Bailey told EFL Analysis earlier this week that Middlesbrough are closing in on the ex-Juventus youngster.

Kaly Sene appears to have overtaken David Strelec on the club’s striker shortlist, two weeks after the Slovakia international’s father confirmed interest from Riverside.

Middlesbrough close in on Kaly Sene as Lausanne Sport director Stephane Henchoz speaks out

Strelec is reportedly valued at around £9 million. Senegalese hitman Sene, per Swiss publication Blick, is likely to be sold by Lausanne Sport for half that amount.

Now, as sporting director Stephane Henchoz confirms that the Swiss Super League outfit have ‘reached an agreement’ regarding Sene’s departure, Blick insist that Middlesbrough are ‘very close’ to ending their long-running pursuit of a new number nine.

“Kaly is not with us in Istanbul. He’s in the process of finalising a departure. We’ve reached an agreement with the club,” says former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers defender Henchoz, Sene omitted from the travelling party for Thursday’s Conference League play-off clash with Besiktas.

“We received the amount we thought was right for Kaly. If we had received an offer that we thought was insufficient, he wouldn’t have left.

“But compared to the offer we received, and it wasn’t the only one because there were several, and his desire to go to this club, all the parameters were met.”

Sene comes after Middlesbrough missed out on Metz’s Cheikh Sabaly

Henchoz claims that it was Middlesbrough who blocked Sene from making what would have been a farewell appearance against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Turkish giants.

“Unfortunately, the club he’s negotiating with categorically refused to let him take part in this match,” the director adds. “[And Sene] didn’t want to take the risk of missing out, perhaps, on the contract of his career for a single match, even one as important as this.

“But the timing is definitely disappointing.

“We always anticipated Kaly’s departure, since he only had one year left on his contract. Signing a striker is very easy. Signing a striker who can replace Kaly Sene is already more complicated.”

The reportedly £4.5 million-rated Sene will move to England having scored six goals in eight appearances at the start of the current campaign.

EFL Analysis can confirm that Middlesbrough considered free-agent Danny Ings following his departure from Aston Villa before shifting their focus elsewhere. Ings put pen to paper with embattled Sheffield United on Wednesday.

Metz frontman Cheikh Sabaly went on strike recently after Boro saw a couple of bids rejected by the Ligue 1 newcomers, meanwhile, before returning to training with his tail between his legs.