Premier League sides AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have had bids for Middlesbrough midfielder Marcus Tavernier rejected, according to an update from 90min.

The 23-year-old hasn’t been short of interest from the Premier League in recent months - and that’s perhaps no surprise considering he recorded five goals and five assists in 44 league appearances for Chris Wilder’s side last season.

Football League World understands league rivals Everton and Leicester City are also interested in the Englishman along with the Cherries and the Reds, with the latter duo on the prowl for fresh blood following their promotion during the latter stages of last term.

 

 

FLW also believes Boro are braced to lose the 23-year-old this summer even with Djed Spence all but sealing his move to Tottenham Hotspur, with no shortage of top-flight interest in Tavernier either.

They are prepared to demand at least £10m for his services though considering he still has two years left on his contract on Teesside, a factor that puts the second-tier side in a strong position at the negotiating table with Wilder keen to keep hold of the core of his squad ahead of a potential promotion push during the 2022/23 campaign.

And according to this latest report from 90min, the offers from Bournemouth and Forest were reportedly around this £10m mark, with Boro seeking a fee closer to £15m instead after seeing him shine in recent seasons.

It’s not all bad news for Steve Cooper’s side though, with the East Midlands outfit believed to be closing in on another midfield target in Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien.

The Verdict:

Although O’Brien can contribute going forward - he may take up James Garner’s role alongside Ryan Yates and sit deeper - so having a more advanced midfielder would be useful for the Reds.

Their squad is now starting to come together nicely with Omar Richards and Harry Toffolo set to compete for a spot on the left, Neco Williams coming in as a replacement for Djed Spence and their central defence also being strengthened.

On top of that, they look set to have O’Brien as a superb Garner replacement and have already strengthened their forward line with Taiwo Awoniyi, adding quality to multiple areas across the pitch and this can only be a good thing in their quest to stay up.

They do need a replacement for Philip Zinckernagel though and this is why Tavernier could come in, potentially proving to be a real asset in the top flight with his energy and fearlessness.

From Boro’s point of view though, they shouldn’t be accepting a modest offer with the Spence money set to come in unless Steve Gibson is prepared to give most of the money generated by his potential sale to Wilder as part of his transfer kitty.

Retaining their best players and stability will be key to their success at the Riverside - and it would be a real statement of intent if they were to hold on to the Englishman this summer.