Championship rivals Middlesbrough and Stoke City have joined the transfer hunt for out-of-favour Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark, according to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope.

The Republic of Ireland international, who has 36 caps to his name for his country, has been demoted to train with the Magpies' under-23's squad as the club look to move him on this summer.

And a plethora of second tier clubs are said to be eyeing up a deal for the 32-year-old to save him from his St. James' Park nightmare.

Initially, it was Birmingham City and Sheffield United who were both reportedly keen on Clark, but they've been joined by both Boro and the Potters in what could end up being a real transfer battle.

Clark has just one year remaining on his contract at Newcastle, and it is unlikely that the Premier League club will ask for much of a fee for the centre-back in order to get him off the books.

The Verdict

Clark would add considerable experience to any Championship side, having played 213 times in his career in the Premier League for both Aston Villa and Newcastle.

But realistically, he's probably not at the top flight level any more performance-wise, so it would make sense to take a step down to the second tier.

The Ireland international has no shortage of suitors, but perhaps out of all four clubs interested, Birmingham City are needing new defenders the most.

As a left-footer though, Clark could provide more balance to Chris Wilder's back-line at Boro, as he would bring something that the Teessiders currently don't have in their defence.