Middlesbrough are expected to ramp up talks with league rivals West Bromwich Albion regarding a potential loan deal for Alex Mowatt, according to the Daily Mail.

The 27-year-old has found himself on the bench for Steve Bruce's side during their opening two league games of the campaign, with the ex-Barnsley man coming on very briefly against Boro on the opening day before failing to get on the pitch at all during their 1-1 draw against Watford on Monday night.

And with this, a loan move would certainly make sense from the player's point of view, especially to a Boro side that look set to be competing at the right end of the division this term despite their slow start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Whilst some signings still need to be made at the Riverside before they can assert themselves as nailed-on promotion rivals, they already have some fantastic ingredients to utilise.

The addition of Mowatt would boost them further if he can replicate his 2020/21 Barnsley form, recording eight goals and seven assists during that term.

Chris Wilder's side are in need of more attacking firepower in midfield with Marcus Tavernier's departure and their forward department still requiring more firepower, so having someone like Mowatt could be a key player in their quest to push for Premier League football once more.

Because of this, another likely promotion candidate in West Brom shouldn't be looking to sanction a move, especially a loan agreement that's unlikely to generate a huge amount of money for Albion.

As well as this, they aren't exactly blessed with a huge number of options in several areas of their team, with plenty for Bruce's side to do before the summer transfer window closes.

Daryl Dike and Kenneth Zohore's injuries are a blow and even without his absence, the Baggies needed another one or two new strikers to come in to provide a sufficient amount of depth in this area.

John Swift and Jed Wallace may have arrived as accomplished options this summer - but they may continue to struggle in front of goal if they don't have an adequate number of forwards to convert chances created by the duo.

Mowatt may not have had the best first season at The Hawthorns - but he's shown before that he can contribute in the final third and would be a useful option to have for Bruce if he's needed.

Looking at their midfield, this is the position where they may the most depth, but Taylor Gardner-Hickman could easily be dragged out to full-back if one of Darnell Furlong or Conor Townsend sustain an injury, just going to show how light they are in that area too.

So for now, they should be looking to retain Mowatt to ensure they aren't left short of options.