Cardiff City defender Sol Bamba has been linked with a move to Middlesbrough.

The 35-year-old has endured a tough 18-month spell, littered with injuries and inconsistency, and now it looks as though he could be leaving the South Wales club this month.

He's been tipped with a move to Middlesbrough where ex-Cardiff boss Neil Warnock is said to be keen on a reunion with the Ivorian, who shared this Instagram post after the first week of pre-season training with Cardiff:

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Bamba was one of Warnock's best players during the 2017/18 promotion-winning campaign. He featured in all of Cardiff's Championship games that season and managed four goals.

He then went on to feature 28 times for the club as they were relegated from the top-flight, but Bamba emerged as a resolute defender, and a firm fan favourite among the Cardiff faithful.

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But with just six league appearances to his name last season it seems as though he might be surplus to requirements under Neil Harris.

As for Boro, they kick-started their summer with the signing of Grant Hall - the ex-QPR man was let go by the club ahead of the restart, becoming Warnock's first signing as Boro boss.

The verdict

Bamba is a well-liked player. At both Leeds ans Cardiff he proved a popular individual but after some months on the sideline, does he really still have what it takes to compete at this level?

Boro fans will back Warnock no matter what his decision is. Signing Bamba for a fee might not be wise given his age but if Warnock thinks he can help Boro on their way to promotion, then it's likely that the move could materialise on the coming weeks.