Middlesbrough look as though they’ll sign a new striker or two this summer, with the club having lacked a killer instinct in the past few weeks.
Middlesbrough look set for another active summer transfer window.
Michael Carrick though doesn’t need to go overboard; he has the foundations of a very talented squad right now, and with a few finishing touches, Boro could be promotion candidates next time round.
And one area that Boro look set to bolster is in attack.
Injuries to the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath haven’t helped Middlesbrough this season, but even with him back, Boro look thin in that department with Sam Greenwood’s loan expiring at the end of the season.
With that in mind, here are three strikers who Middlesbrough could sign for free in the summer…
Josh King would bring huge experience to Middlesbrough
Former Manchester United youngster King now has 415 career appearances to his name, and 88 goals with 53 of those having come in the Premier League.
The Norway intranational is best known for his time at Bournemouth where former Boss Eddie Howe often spoken highly of the 32-year-old, saying how he was ‘pivotal’ to the Cherries’ expansive style of play.
Now at Fenerbahce, King looks set to become a free agent in the summer after featuring just 12 times in the Super Lig this season, scoring once.
But his experience and lively nature up top could be ideal for this Carrick set up at Middlesbrough.
Aaron Connolly
Hull City man Aaron Connolly was surprisingly handed a one-year deal last summer, leaving Brighton to join the Tigers on a permanent basis.
Injuries have held the Irishman back but he’s managed to find fitness and also a vein of form this season, featuring 25 times in the Championship and netting eight goals.
But Liam Rosenior has named him on the bench for the last four games, with the 24-year-old failing to come on in the last three.
It could suggest Hull’s plans for the striker this summer; if he becomes a free agent then there’ll surely be Championship clubs queueing up.
Oli McBurnie
Oli McBurnie could be an ambitious and potentially expensive move, with the big striker reportedly earning £24,000-a-week, but McBurnie would be a huge potential coup for Middlesbrough.
He sees his Sheffield United contract expire in the summer and whilst the Blades might be weighing up a new given their likely relegation this season, McBurnie will surely be coming into the thinking of other clubs.
And the Championship is a level which McBurnie has shone in before; he netted 22 goals for Swansea City in the 2018/19 season and 13 for Sheffield United last time round.
He’s a different kind of striker to King and Connolly in that he’s more of a target man. But he certainly has that killer instinct and in a Boro side which loves to put crosses and passes into the box, McBurnie could flourish.