Middlesbrough plotting move for ‘top-class’ Championship talent as £2m price tag mooted

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Middlesbrough’s start to the summer transfer window has been a slow burner, with no first-team signings confirmed.

Rob Edwards is eyeing several improvements to his Middlesbrough squad as they gear up for a Championship play-off push in 2025/26.

EFL Analysis exclusively revealed this week that Boro are interested in Pavel Sulc from Victoria Plzen, though the Teesiders could find it difficult to convince the midfielder to move.

Elsewhere, Edwards is also looking at bolstering a backline that conceded 56 times last term, with one target emerging on their radar.

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Middlesbrough are interested in £2m-rated Alfie Jones

Middlesbrough could wave goodbye to one of their most influential defenders this summer, as Rav van den Berg is attracting interest from the Premier League and Bundesliga.

That would leave just Dael Fry, Darragh Lenihan and George Edmundson as senior centre-back options, with Boro looking in the Championship to bolster their depth.

According to Hull Live, Middlesbrough have informed Hull City of their interest in Alfie Jones, who is available for £2 million this summer.

Talks are ongoing between the two clubs over a possible move to the Riverside Stadium, with Edwards a huge fan of the English, ball-playing defender.

Jones, who was once lauded as ‘top-class’ by Grant McCann, has amassed 191 appearances for Hull since joining on a free transfer from Southampton in 2020 and last season, he played 41 times in the second tier as the Tigers narrowly avoided relegation.

After Hull signed Semi Ajayi to go alongside their other strong options, including Charlie Hughes, John Egan, and Sean McLoughlin, new manager Sergej Jakirovic could offload the 27-year-old.

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Blackburn Rovers continue to track Sean McLoughlin

While Jones is an important senior member of the squad, his performances did drop off dramatically in 2024/25, failing to maintain his usual high standards.

Hull Live also claim that Blackburn Rovers are still keeping an eye on the situation of McLoughlin, who registered interest in the Irishman last summer.

McLoughlin, like Jones, sees his contract at the MKM Stadium expire in 2026, though both players do hold the option to extend their contract by another year.

Last season, McLoughlin rarely featured as a centre-back ahead of Hughes and Jones, instead being used out of position as a left-back.

But the 28-year-old would arguably be tempted by the chance to start regularly, something Blackburn could perhaps promise him.

That being said, given Hull are under a transfer embargo, it’s unlikely they’ll offload two of their senior defenders to Championship rivals.