(Credit: Imago)

Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Fri 8 May 2026 10:10, UK

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Middlesbrough are plotting a move to sign highly-rated Huddersfield Town teenager Jay Smith-Sway, sources have told Football Insider.

Smith-Sway is set to enter the final year of his contract at Huddersfield and has yet to be offered a new deal by the League One club, placing his suitors on alert.

Middlesbrough are considering a move to sign the 19-year-old and then loaning him out with a view to fast-tracking his development.

Smith-Sway has made six senior appearances for the Terriers this season and featured in all three of their EFL Cup outings against Leicester City, Sunderland and Man City.

The former Everton academy prospect enjoyed his first loan spell at National League outfit Hartlepool for the last month of the season, where he picked up one assist in five appearances.

Could Middlesbrough move to sign Jay Smith-Sway?

Boro are adding emphasis on signing young players ahead of the summer, after Football Insider revealed Middlesbrough want to sign Will Lankshear among a number of targets.

Smith-Sway, who can play both in defence and midfield, broke into the Huddersfield first-team plans under Lee Grant after impressing with 15 goals for the club’s B-team.

With just one year remaining on his deal, potential suitors are being encouraged to step up their interest amid a feeling he could be available this summer.

Smith-Sway remains very highly-rated at Huddersfield, and could yet sign a new deal, but Middlesbrough hope to act quickly to lure him to the Riverside.

They are not the only interested party as things stand though, and could face rival interest in the midfielder should he be allowed to move on.

Why are Middlesbrough looking to sign a midfielder?

Smith-Sway’s ability to perform both in defence and midfield has made him an attractive prospect for Boro, who are aiming to bolster their ranks in midfield.

While he is highly unlikely to go straight into Kim Hellberg’s first-team plans, he would join with a plan to become part of the starting XI in the future.

This could see him eventually fill the boots of Hayden Hackney, who is being heavily linked with a move away from the Riverside Stadium this summer.

Football Insider revealed on 3 May that Hackney is edging towards leaving Middlesbrough, and it will be difficult to keep hold of him if they miss out on promotion.

The likes of Brighton, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and even Man United have been linked with moves for the midfielder who now looks Premier League-bound.