Middlesbrough are set to beat Premier League duo Aston Villa and Southampton to a summer signing.
Middlesbrough have had quite the active summer transfer window so far with three new signings already made.
Boro chairman Steve Gibson has fully backed manager Michael Carrick as the man to return his club to the Premier League.
Carrick has seen the Teessiders flirt with promotion in the previous two campaigns but after their summer so far, 2024/25 could finally be Middlesbrough’s year.
Delano Burgzorg, Aidan Morris and Luke Ayling have all completed permanent moves to the Riverside in the current window.
In a further boost, it was reported on July 5th that Middlesbrough are preparing to bid for former loanee, Ryan Giles.
Giles had a superb 2022/23 on loan at Boro and his return would boost the club’s promotion chances massively.
Middlesbrough do not look set to stop there, however, as they are now closing in on another summer signing.
Middlesbrough set to sign Harley Hunt
As reported by the Daily Mail, Middlesbrough are closing in on the transfer of Swindon Town defender, Harley Hunt.
Premier League duo Aston Villa and Southampton were thought to hold an interest in the centre-back, but Boro have won the race.
In terms of the transfer sum required for Hunt, the North East side will pay Swindon an initial fee of £500,000, with potential performance-based add-ons worth another £1m.
Former Boro centre-back and current first-team coach Jonathan Woodgate is understood to have played a key role in convincing Hunt to make the move up north.
What Harley Hunt can bring to Middlesbrough
Hunt fits the profile of the type of star Middlesbrough want to sign under Carrick.
He is a tall, ball-playing defender who is more than capable of stepping up into midfield.
However, while Boro fans are no doubt excited to land such a promising talent, he is unlikely to see too much first-team action in 2024/25.
Hunt is still just 16 years of age and has only made three senior appearances in his career to date.
Boro, meanwhile, are well-stocked at centre-back heading into next term with Ran van den Berg, Dael Fry, Matt Clarke, and Darragh Lenihan all competing for one of two starting berths.
But with the latter of that quartet now 30 and Clarke out of contract in 2025, Hunt should have plenty of chances to impress for Middlesbrough in the future.