Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has revealed that Boro would be open to allowing both Lewis Wing and Hayden Coulson to leave the club this summer but that there would need to be swap deals in place.

Wing has been a player in-demand this summer with the midfielder facing an uncertain future at the Riverside following his loan move to Rotherham United in the second half of last term.

There have been reports that the Millers are keen to re-sign him, while both Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City are also believed to be in the race for his signature this summer.

Coulson, meanwhile, is also a player that has been attracting potential transfer interest with the 23-year-old reportedly on the radar of both Sunderland and Ipswich Town as the pair target promotion from League One next term.

Speaking to Teesside Live, Warnock has now suggested that Boro are open to the idea of both Wing and Coulson leaving the club this summer. However, he insisted that any departures would need to be supplemented by the buying club doing a swap deal with them for one of their players.

He said: "A lot would depend on the offers we get for these players.

"I'm more concerned with players, you talk about Coulson and Wingy, it's players I want, so I'm trying to do more with swapping players than I am letting players go. We haven't got enough bodies at the minute."

The verdict

These are interesting comments from Warnock and suggest that there is the possibility that both Wing and Coulson might be allowed to leave the club.

That will be a major bonus to the likes of Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull, Ipswich and Sunderland because the pair could be strong signings for their respective suitors.

However, it is a sensible approach from Warnock that Middlesbrough would need to get a player that they want in return because Boro can not afford to lose too many more bodies from their squad without replacing them. Whilst neither Coulson nor Wing are likely to be the first choice next term, they are still good options to have as rotation players.

It will therefore be up to one of the interested clubs to come up with an offer of a potential swap deal that would interest Boro. That might take a while to sort out and as a result, the futures of both Coulson and Wing will likely remain up in the air for a while longer yet.