‘Exceptional’ Middlesbrough striker target worth ‘more than’ £8.5m after 25-goal season

Add as preferred source on Google

If Middlesbrough needed any further convincing that a certain free-scoring centre-forward is the right man to spearhead Rob Edwards’ Championship promotion challenge, then his midweek brace could hardly come at a better time.

EFL Analysis can confirm that, while Middlesbrough have held talks with Danny Ings, the Riverside outfit are hoping to bring in two strikers before the September deadline.

Ings, Championship Player of the Year in his most recent second-tier campaign all the way back in 2013/14, would bring a much-needed ruthless streak to a Boro side who fell short of a top-six finish after losing star poacher Emmanuel Latte Lath last January.

But, at the age of 33, there may be concerns about whether Ings can handle a gruelling 46-game campaign.

Hence, Middlesbrough’s intention to bring in another alongside the ex-West Ham, Burnley, Aston Villa and Southampton hitman.

And David Strelec, the Slovakia international long linked with a move to England’s North East, does not appear to be a man resting on his laurels after a 25-goal campaign in 2024/25.

Middlesbrough target David Strelec tipped to earn Slovan Bratislava £8.5 million

Strelec was only on the pitch for half an hour during Slovan Bratislava’s Champions League qualifier against Bosnian outfit HSK Zrinjski Mostar on Tuesday night.

He still found the time to score two vital goals, however. A rapid-fire brace which calmed any second-leg nerves and set up a play-off with Glasgow Rangers.

After halving Zrinjski Mostar’s 2-0 advantage on the night with a cool left-footed finish, Strelec then salvaged a draw while securing a 6-2 aggregate victory in the process. Latching onto an awful back pass, he took his time, sat a defender down, and slotted into the open net.

Since the beginning of last season, the Slovakia international now has 28 goals in 50 appearances at club level. He found the net twice in the Champions League proper in 2023/24 as well, including a penalty against Atletico Madrid.

For Peter Duris, a former player-turned-pundit in his native Slovakia, Strelec’s European heroics show why Slovan Bratislava must hold out for every single penny should negotiations with Middlesbrough develop.

“Strelec has made a price tag [for himself] of over 10 million euros in this two-leg tie,” Duris tells Sport24. “There are not many such [number] nines at the moment, and I see him in one of the big clubs. I think he doesn’t have to worry at all that he won’t make it.

“He is in the best shape of his life. He is also exceptional in that he is a left-footer and a goalscorer. He has been very well trained and I am very pleasantly surprised by him.

“If Slovan does not advance to the main stage of the Champions League, they can easily move him to a top club for more than 10 million.”

Or, translated into English currency, £8.5 million.

Middlesbrough have lost out on Marc Guiu to Sunderland

EFL Analysis can confirm that Middlesbrough looked at Chelsea’s Marc Guiu earlier in the window. The former Barcelona starlet wants to develop his talents at the top level, however, with a move to play-off champions Sunderland close.

Boro lost out to Watford for Vivaldo Semedo, too.

Strelec is more experienced, more proven, and presumably far more expensive than Semedo, meanwhile.

But with a return to the Premier League priceless for Middlesbrough, Strelec would be worth every single penny if moves to the Riverside and emulates the success of Latte Lath and Chuba Akpom before him.

“He is currently a player who, when even half-chances arise that the opponent offers him, can take advantage of them perfectly,” says Ladislav Molnar, who spent two seasons between the sticks for Slovan Bratislava in the 1990s.

“He is in great form, which is excellent for Slovan.”