Exclusive: Five Middlesbrough stars agree contract extensions as Leeds swoop
Five Middlesbrough senior stars have agreed contract extensions until the end of the season but they don’t include Leeds United target Daniel Ayala, Football Insider can reveal.
Ayala, who is one of seven Boro players out of contract this summer, has refused to play in the club’s nine remaining matches this season.
A Boro source has told Football Insider that the club have succeeded in keeping hold of five of his teammates for rest of the campaign.
George Friend, Adam Clayton, Marvin Johnson, Jonny Howson and Rudy Gestede have all agreed to extend their deals until July 31st.
Like Ayala, those agreements are currently due to expire on 30 June.
That is a major boost for manager Jonathan Woodgate as he plots his side’s relegation battle with them precariously placed just two points above the drop zone.
Football Insider revealed last week that Boro have also offered long-term contracts of between two and three years to key trio Howson, Friend and Ayala.
All are long-serving members of the side, with associations stretching back three, eight and seven years respectively.
The Ayala revelations have emerged in the last 24 hours after Football Insider broke the news last Thursday that Leeds have made Ayala one of their top targets in the next window as they look to sign a new centre-back.
The 29-year-old has made 23 Championship starts among 25 appearances for Middlesbrough this season but has not played since New Year’s Day due to an ankle injury.
But he has now burned his bridges with Boro and is not expected to play for the club again.
In other Leeds United news, a Whites senior player is set to be at a south-east club next season after buying a new house.