Ipswich Town are set to turn to Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede in their bid to avoid the drop into League One, according to a report in the Telegraph.

Paul Lambert's side are five points adrift of safety at the foot of the table and are now thought to be targeting experienced players to get them out of the trouble they're in.

30-year old Gestede has struggled to get a game for Boro this season and looks increasingly to be on the fringes of their first team.

He has just four appearances in the Championship and is primed for an exit this transfer window.

He made his name at Blackburn Rovers, where Aston Villa were convinced to pay around £6m for his services. He didn't settle at Villa Park, scoring just nine times in almost 60 outings and eventually Boro paid a similar fee for him in January 2017.

He's since scored just four league goals in 39 appearances, 15 of which have been starts, leaving him on the cusp of a Riverside exit.

The Verdict

This seems like decent business, but Gestede hasn't got a great goals record.

He is a big unit though and can bring others into play, plus if you want to take the pressure off the back four, the ball can go quickly to him to be held up and shielded for a while.

If they can bag a loan deal then he might help their survival chances, but they'd be foolish to put all of their hopes in a man with nine league goals in three and a half seasons.