With Jonathan Woodgate aiming to put his own stamp on Middlesbrough's squad this summer having been appointed as their new manager earlier this month, it is not at all surprising that some of the club's misfiring forwards have already been linked with a move away from the Riverside Stadium.

According to TeesideLive, the Smoggies are reportedly open to offers for Rudy Gestede whilst Martin Braithwaite is thought to be a target for Leganes, who are keen on bringing him on a permanent deal after being impressed by his performances during his loan spell last season.

If this is indeed true and both players are surplus to requirements at Boro, Woodgate must consider both the positives and the negatives that selling them could have on their fortunes during the upcoming campaign before making a final decision on their futures.

Keeping this in mind, we have set out two pros as well as two cons to the Smoggies cutting ties with the attacking duo.

Check them out below...

Pros

Cashing in would free up budget to bring in a star name

If Boro are able to recuperate a healthy amount of cash from the sales of Braithwaite and Gestede, Woodgate could put it towards signing a forward who has a proven track-record of delivering the goods at Championship level, such as Dwight Gayle for example.

A menace for West Bromwich Albion last season, the 29-year-old fired in 24 goals in the second-tier whilst on loan from Newcastle United and could be available for transfer this summer.

Neither Gestede or Braithwaite have lived up to expectations

When the Smoggies brought in Braithwaite from Toulouse and Gestede from Aston Villa, they would have been hoping that the duo could fire them to success in the Championship.

However, this simply hasn't been the case as the former has been loaned out on two occasions to Bordeaux and Leganes whilst the latter failed to score a single goal during the 2018/19 campaign which culminated in him being frozen out by then-boss Tony Pulis.

Given Gestede's and Braithwaite's lack of consistency over the past two years, it could be argued that allowing them to move on to pastures new could turn out to be the right decision for Woodgate to make.

Cons

The Smoggies will be desperately short of options up-front if they do leave

With Jordan Hugill returning to West Ham United last month following the expiry of his loan deal, Boro currently only have four forwards at their disposal for the upcoming campaign and therefore letting Braithwaite and Gestede go could leave them woefully short of options.

Although Britt Assombalonga was impressive for the Smoggies last season in-front of goal, it is obvious that he needs back-up and so it may be worth Woodgate keeping one of the aforementioned forwards at the club to occupy this particular role.

Boro are not guaranteed to find adequate replacements for either player

Whereas neither player has shone in a Boro shirt, Woodgate may end up struggling to find an adequate replacement for them during the transfer window if he is not willing to pay premium prices.

A failure to add some real quality to his squad could result in the former England international facing an uphill task to better Pulis' seventh place finish in 2020.