Rob Edwards says he ‘can’t sit here and lie’ on Finn Azaz’s Middlesbrough future amid Southampton interest

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Southampton seem to believe that Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz may be the man to help guide them back to the Premier League, as they launched a bid for the Republic of Ireland international.

The bid was rejected by Middlesbrough for Azaz, with the club believing he is worth more, setting Southampton a fee that needs to be matched to acquire the star.

Southampton are in the market for forward reinforcements amid reports that Saints attacker Tyler Dibling is wanted by Spurs, Crystal Palace, and Everton.

As a result, the Saints have been planning for life without the in-demand youngster, after it emerged that Southampton are in talks with Middlesbrough over Azaz.

Will Still has made it clear about what he thinks of Finn Azaz in his press conference, and now Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has made his stance clear on Southampton’s interest in the 24-year-old.

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Rob Edwards on Finn Azaz’s future

Speaking in his press conference ahead of Middlesbrough’s Championship fixture with Norwich City this weekend, Rob Edwards addressed the bid from Southampton for Azaz.

Azaz wants to play in the Premier League by his own admission, and the ongoing talks point towards the 24-year-old feeling he has a faster chance of reaching the top flight under Still rather than Rob Edwards at Boro.

However, Edwards said: “We’ve had a bid from a club for Finn, and we’ve turned that down.

“We’re really happy with the contribution that Finn made at the weekend – he was excellent when he came on. He’s trained well again this week, and he’s available for selection again at Norwich.

“He’s been great, fully concentrated on the task at hand. He’s available for selection again this weekend, and that’s as far as I’m willing to go on it at the moment.

“I can’t sit here and lie to people by saying categorically this is happening or this isn’t happening. We’ll have to see. But it’s certainly not the case that people have to go because of the people that are coming in. That’s absolutely not the position.”

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Finn Azaz’s impact on Middlesbrough

The Republic of Ireland international joined Middlesbrough from Aston Villa in January 2024 for a reported fee of £2.5m.

However, this decision to sign him by Middlesbrough was for the impact that he had with Plymouth Argyle, as he was key to their success in League One and the Championship.

Azaz was in splendid form for Boro under Michael Carrick last season, scoring 12 goals with 11 assists in 46 games, but could not help his side finish in the play-off places.

With Still’s Southampton targeting Azaz, it demonstrates his belief that they need a creative player who can have a significant impact to guide them to the Premier League.