Southampton have reportedly made a £12m move to prise Finn Azaz from Middlesbrough.
Transfer business at the Riverside has been hit and miss in recent years, although Azaz has undeniably been a hit.
The midfielder has since amassed 67 appearances for the club, weighing in with 16 goals and 17 assists.
Unsurprisingly, his exploits in the second tier have not gone unnoticed and have fuelled transfer speculation.
Finn Azaz has made 67 appearances for Middlesbrough since his move from Aston Villa.placeholder image
Finn Azaz has made 67 appearances for Middlesbrough since his move from Aston Villa. | George Wood/Getty Images
Finn Azaz interest
In May, the Irish Sun credited Leeds United, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth with interest in the Republic of Ireland international.
It has now been claimed, by Mail Online, that Southampton have tabled a £12m bid for the 24-year-old.
Discussions are said to be taking place, with the Saints seemingly hoping Azaz can boost their promotion chances.
Middlesbrough losing key figures
Losing Azaz would arguably be a significant blow for Middlesbrough, who have already lost Rav van den Berg and Emmanuel Latte Lath this calendar year.
There is also intense speculation surrounding Azaz’s midfield partner Hayden Hackney, who has been strongly linked with Premier League clubs and Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.
Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz is a senior Republic of Ireland international.placeholder image
Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz is a senior Republic of Ireland international. | Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
New blood at the Riverside - and Hackney talk
There have been some eye-catching additions to Rob Edwards’ squad and two games into the Championship season, the club have a 100 per cent win record.
While Edwards has not addressed talk of interest in Azaz, he did reference the speculation regarding Hackney after his side’s recent win over Millwall.
He said: “I thought Hayden was excellent. Loads of energy, loads of quality, desire, passion and he won a lot of duels.
“His running was really good – that’s the best he’s looked since he’s come back from the success that he had with the national team.
“You can see it out there that he loves the club and he’s been extremely professional, so I couldn’t be happier with him.
“The way I see things right now is he’s here with us, he loves this place, I thought his performance showed that.”