Middlesbrough in advanced talks to sign internationally-capped defender

Boro are still yet to pick up a victory in league action, having claimed just one single point from a possible 12, with Michael Carrick’s summer signings so far being more potential-based rather than getting results and performances instantly.

Things look to be changing though in the final days of the window, with both Lewis O’Brien and Sam Greenwood signed on loan and it now looks as though a second left-back could be on the club’s agenda.

Having lost Ryan Giles back to Wolves following the end of his loan stint at the Riverside Stadium last season, there were hopes that the 23-year-old would return to the club on a permanent basis.

However, Luton Town’s interest ended up scuppering them, with Giles securing Premier League football for himself with a switch to the Hatters.

That meant that Carrick and his recruitment team had to look at other options, with fringe player Hayden Coulson starting the campaign as his starting left-back after his stint with Aberdeen on loan last season.

They eventually secured the services of Silkeborg left-back Lukas Engel recently though, with the Dane thrown straight in for starts against Huddersfield Town and West Brom in recent weeks.

It’s clear to see though that Engel needs competition in that position, with Coulson perhaps not at the required standard for a club that will be once again looking to push for promotion.

And Boro are seemingly back in the running for a player they had targeted earlier in the window in the form of Sierra Leone international Alex Bangura.

The 24-year-old was the subject of interest from the Teessiders in July as they were believed to have entered talks with Dutch second tier club SC Cambuur for the versatile left-sided player, with a £500,000 price-tag believed to be on his head.

But they have now seemingly returned to the party, with TEAMtalk suggesting that Boro are on the verge of landing Bangura with advanced talks underway to secure his signature.

Having played for Feyenoord at youth level, Bangura joined Cambuur in 2018 and made his first-team debut less than a year later.

Bangura played plenty of football in the Dutch second tier, but he won promotion to the Eredivisie for the 2021-22 season with Cambuur and has played 56 times at that level, scoring four times and notching three assists.

Capable of playing as a left-back in a back four or as a wing-back, Bangura has started all three of Cambuur’s Eerste Divisie matches this season but is now set for an exit, with Boro the likely destination.

Taking Coulson out of the equation, new Boro signing Engel does not have competition at left-back, but signing Bangura would mean that two capable players will be battling for one spot.

That could be a good thing for Michael Carrick as it will keep both individuals battling and wanting to show their best, and to replace the 11 assists of Ryan Giles from last season is very important as he was their main creative outlet out wide.

There is of course zero guarantee that Bangura would fit in well in the Championship, but he has some international experience with five caps to his name and the Eredivisie is a decent enough standard overall, and if the speculated £500,000 figure from earlier in the summer is true then it could be a bargain buy for Boro.

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Bar the arrival of left-back Alex Bangura, Boro are expected to have a quiet deadline day but Michael Carrick has indicated that they are “ready for something” if it is thrown up in front of them

After catching the eye with his form on loan for Preston North End in the second half of last season – when he scored eight goals in 21 games for the Championship side – Cannon has been a subject for speculation this summer.

With Everton signing Beto to add to their forward options, the 20-year-old looks set to depart Goodison Park on deadline day and there are plenty of second tier clubs hoping to snap him up.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Sunderland see Cannon as a replacement for Ross Stewart, who looks on course to join Southampton before tonight’s deadline.

They face competition from plenty of places, however, with Leicester City reportedly tabling a bid, and Norwich City already linked

However, it appears Boro are not part of the bidding war despite what recent reports have suggested.

With Cameron Archer and Chuba Akpom, Carrick’s two premier forwards from last season, now gone, adding forward firepower in the summer window always looked a priority and the jury is out on whether the players they have can fill that duo’s shoes.

Coburn has scored for fun on loan but is still just 20 while Leeds United loanee Sam Greenwood arrives without too much first team experience.

Speaking to The Northern Echo yesterday about whether the North East club would be in for any more players, beyond the expected arrival of Bangura, he suggested that he was happy with his lot but would continue to monitor the market for opportunities.

He said: “Sometimes things are in our hands where you might push for certain things, other time things get thrown upon you because somebody is interested in one of your players.

“You have to expect the unexpected. We’re ready for anything. We feel we’re in a good place.

“We’re definitely not chasing and desperate for anything in terms of rash decisions. We feel like we’re in control. But yeah of course, you always have to be ready for something that’s thrown up in front of you.”