The Championship trio of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, and Sunderland will continue to keep an eye on Middlesbrough’s Grant Leadbitter ahead of a possible January move, reports The Northern Echo.

The 31-year-old moved to the Riverside Stadium back in 2012 after a three-year stint at Ipswich Town, and certainly did his bit in helping the North East outfit return to the Premier League back in 2016.

The midfielder bagged four goals and laid on three assists in 41 Championship games to help Aitor Karanka’s men seal second place in the division, although the Englishman was unable to inspire them to safety last term, appearing just 13 times in the top-flight as they were relegated in 19th place.

And with one six-minute cameo for Garry Monk’s side this time round, speculation was rife over the summer that Leadbitter may return to former club Sunderland, although they alongside Wednesday and Derby saw offers rejected by the Teessiders.

However, recent reports suggest that the Championship trio will continue to keep an eye on Leadbitter’s situation over the coming months, with a view to possibly reigniting their interest in the winter transfer window.

All three sides would have hoped for slightly better starts to the new season but did bring in more reinforcements on deadline day, and so Sunderland’s Grayson, Derby’s Gary Rowett, and Sheffield Wednesday’s Carlos Carvalhal will all be hoping for better from their teams when the campaign resumes this weekend.

And how they get on between now and January, and indeed how Leadbitter gets on at Middlesbrough, may impact upon their decision to go in for the experienced midfielder in the New Year.

The Verdict: There aren’t many players out there who have played more Championship football than Grant Leadbitter, and even fewer can boast two promotions from his time in the second tier.

However, with just six minutes of second tier action under Garry Monk this time round, alongside a mere 13 Premier League appearances last term, the 31-year-old’s future at the Riverside Stadium was subject to speculation over the summer, and Sunderland were reportedly looking to bring the midfielder back to the club.

Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday were also interested, and although none of them were able to get a deal done, they look set to retain their interest over the coming months ahead of the January window.

Having Leadbitter’s experience as well as midfield guile would certainly benefit the aforementioned trio, yet a January move is likely to have a huge bearing on how much he is used by Monk over the coming months.

Middlesbrough, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, and Sunderland fans… what do you make of the news? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!