Middlesbrough are claimed to have joined the clubs chasing wantaway wideman Jon Walters, according to a newspaper in the North-East. Citing sources in East Anglia, it’s reported that Gordon Strachan’s club have made an enquiry regarding the £3 million-rated Republic of Ireland B international.
The link probably comes from Roy Keane’s comments over the weekend indicating that a club from outside the Premier League had made a bid for the Stoke and West Brom target: "There’s been another offer come in, more than Stoke, which I’m glad about because they’ve just been tip-toeing around the situation.
"I’ve said to the owner, if these other clubs, these big Premier League teams, don’t want to come back for him, we’ll sell him to the other team. That’s my opinion but the owner’s obviously negotiating with these other clubs.”
QPR are more widely believed to be the non-Premier League club interested, having reportedly had a £2.5 million offer rebuffed earlier in the summer, but if there's any truth in today's report a switch to Teesside may be more attractive to Walters, who is understood to want to move back up north.
On Saturday boss Roy Keane said Walters would not play for Town again while he remains manager of the club after overreacting to being stripped of the captaincy.
Photo: James Ager