Boro could lose a key star this summer.placeholder image
Boro could lose a key star this summer. | Getty Images.
Middlesbrough's hopes of keeping hold of one key player could be dashed amid Leeds and Everton interest.
Despite poor recent form, Middlesbrough are still very much in with a chance of being a Premier League side next season, and Matt Targett is one of the key reasons for that.
On loan from Newcastle United, the left-back has clocked over 3,000 minutes in the Championship so far this season (WhoScored), registering four goals and three assists in 38 appearances so far. Targett is second at Boro for interceptions (42) and crosses blocked (12), while only Hayden Hackney (83) and Tommy Conway (57) have created more chances (52). Boro would have loved to have kept hold of Targett, regardless of what division they’re playing in next season. However, recent reports suggest that may now be quite difficult.
Premier League clubs circling for Matt Targett
According to TEAMtalk, ‘several Premier League clubs are now monitoring the situation closely’, with Targett’s second-tier performances catching the eye this season. Leeds United have been named most prominently among those clubs, despite boasting the in-form Gabriel Gudmundsson at left-back. However, behind the Sweden international, Sam Byram is the only other recognised left-back at Elland Road, and his contract is up this summer, having played just once in the Premier League this season.
Everton are another side understood to have a strong interest in Targett. The Toffees’ current starter is Vitaly Mykolenko, with the Ukraine international clocking up 152 appearances for the club so far since joining from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2022. But Mykolenko has just 18 months left on his deal at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and with Bundesliga giants Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig both interested, David Moyes may feel like now is the right time to move on.
Behind Mykolenko, youngster Adam Aznou has failed to kick on so far since joining from Bayern Munich last summer. Targett also has the added benefit of being able to cover at centre-back - which he’s done six times for Boro this season, according to Transfermarkt, and will be available for free, with his Newcastle contract expiring this summer. In addition to Premier League interest, Targett’s former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is thought to be open to a reunion together at MLS side Charlotte FC.
Continue Reading