Town and Bristol City are reported to be amongst a number of clubs eyeing Middlesbrough centre-half Stephen McManus. The 29-year-old turned down a loan move to the Blues in the summer of 2009 when a Celtic player.
McManus is currently out of the Middlesbrough first team — his last game was on December 3rd — with ex-Blues loanee Matthew Bates and Rhys Williams ahead of him in the pecking order.
Boro boss Tony Mowbray is keen to add to his squad during January but also expects players to move on: "We need to create some space in the budget to move things around. I have no problem with the people that are not impacting on the first XI moving on.”
Lanark-born McManus came through the youth ranks at Celtic, making his senior debut in the 2003/04 season.
He made 204 starts and three sub appearances for the Bhoys, scoring 20 goals, and captained the side before joining Boro initially on loan in January 2010, signing on permanently the following summer for £1.5 million.
He has made 56 starts and four sub appearances for the Teessiders, scoring twice. With Scotland, 6ft 2in tall McManus has won 26 caps, scoring two goals.
Town are very much in the market for a centre-half with a deal for Leicester’s Sean St Ledger having been put on hold last week.
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