Blackpool's Marc Bola trained with the club as normal on Friday, despite reports that the defender had been set to undergo a medical with Championship side Middlesbrough, the Blackpool Gazette have claimed.

It was reported by Football Insider earlier on Friday that Bola had been due on Tyneside for a medical ahead of a proposed move to the Riverside Stadium, after the two clubs were said to have agreed a fee  for the defender.

The latest reports however, suggest that Bola has yet to undergo a medical with the Championship club, despite the fact that 'Boro are interested in the left-back, with the situation potentially set to develop in the coming days.

Bola, who was named Blackpool's Player of the Year last season, has just 12 months remaining on his current contract, although the club have reportedly offered the 21-year-old a new deal in an attempt to keep him at Bloomfield Road.

A graduate of Arsenal's youth system, Bola never made a senior appearance for the Gunners, and only made the permanent move away from the Emirates Stadium to join Blackpool last summer.

Middlesbrough's Championship rivals Brentford and Luton Town have also been credited with an interest in Bola in the current transfer window.

The Verdict

It is hard to know quite what fans of either side will make of this.

For Middlesbrough supporters, the lack of activity so far in this transfer window means that the delay in this transfer is likely to be a source of frustration, even though they should still be confident of getting it completed, considering what they should be able to offer both Bola and Blackpool themselves.

By that same extent, this is unlikely to be much of relief for Blackpool fans either, with the amount of Championship interest in Bola meaning it looks inevitable that they will be losing one of their key players sooner rather than later.

You feel that the sooner this is done one way or another the better it will be for everyone, with both teams then able to press on with their final preparations ahead of a return to competitive action in little over a week.