It is reported by the Chronicle Live that Middlesbrough midfielder Grant Leadbitter is on the verge of a return to Sunderland, the club he served his youth with.

That reports states the 33-year-old is willing to take a pay cut, whilst Team Talk suggest that he's going to have his wages subsidised by Boro for the final six months of his current one-year deal.

Whatever the truth, he is set for a move away from the Riverside.

As opposed to Wearside though, there's another club who really should be having a second look themselves. Barnsley are battling against Sunderland for a place in the Championship and if they're serious about promotion they should be rivalling the Black Cats for his signature.

The Tykes are currently firmly in the top six, but looking for that extra push to put them on a par with Luton, Portsmouth and Sunderland, the current top three. Making the Boro man a target is one of the little advantages that could pay big rewards.

Here's two reasons why we feel Grant Leadbitter should be a top target for Daniel Stendel's side.

Experience

Leadbitter is an experienced professional who understands the game well. He's calm and composed, but he would be a great figure for the younger players to learn from.

Alex Mowatt and Cameron McGeehan are both exciting players with lots of their career ahead of them and they'd thrive from having a professional like Leadbitter to work with every day.

Morale Boost

It's been a tough time for Barnsley, Brad Potts moved to Preston and Luton picked up midfielder George Moncur. They've taken a couple of hits and to capture a player of Leadbitter's standing would be a big help.

If they could sign him he'd give the place a little lift after a tough few weeks squad wise, maybe helping them move on from the damaging transfer business.