According to the Northern Echo, Stewart Downing’s move from Middlesbrough to Birmingham City is stalling, with the two clubs struggling to finalise a deal.  

Birmingham and Harry Redknapp are keen to take Downing to St Andrew’s this summer, but their valuation of the player is way apart from Boro’s.

The problem appears to lie with Downing’s wages, as the player does not want to suffer financially through any deal.

Birmingham are reluctant to meet the 32-year-old’s wage demands, and despite the Blues and Boro still negotiating over Downing, a deal has began to stall in the last 24 hours.

Downing has been told he is surplus to requirements at the Riverside Stadium this summer by Garry Monk, with the 38-year-old keen to reshape his Boro squad ahead of the 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship campaign.

Should Downing leave Boro this summer, it will be the second time in his career that he has left his boyhood club.

Having come through Boro’s academy and made his debut in 2002, Downing went on to make 234 appearances during his first spell with the club, before moving to Aston Villa in 2009.

After spells with Villa, Liverpool and West Ham United, Downing returned to the Riverside Stadium ahead of the 2015/16 campaign, and made 45 appearances that season, helping Boro back to the Premier League.

However, the winger struggled in the top-flight last season, making just 30 appearances, scoring once and assisting three times.

Where do you expect Downing to be playing his football next season? Let us know your thoughts!