Sources: Middlesbrough line up move to sign Brighton star Matt Clarke
Middlesbrough are lining up a move to sign Brighton defender Matt Clarke, sources have told Football Insider.
Boro boss Chris Wilder is looking to bring in a left-sided centre-back before the close of the transfer window and he has set his sights on the 25-year-old.
Clarke is entering the final year of his contract at Brighton and they could be willing to let him move on as he searches for regular first-team football.
He is well down the pecking order in Graham Potter’s plans and spent last season on loan at West Brom.
Clarke made 33 second-tier appearances for the Baggies and won the club’s Supporters’ Player of the Season award in an otherwise dismal campaign at The Hawthorns.
The defender has also had two season-long loan spells at Derby – meaning he has not turned out in a senior game for Brighton since joining from Portsmouth in 2019.
The loan signing of Levi Colwill from Chelsea has pushed Clarke even further down in Potter’s thinking, and his only minutes this term have come for the Seagulls’ Under-21 side.
Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk, and Joel Veltman are the current first-choice three-man defence at the Amex Stadium.
Middlesbrough are in the market for centre-back reinforcements after losing Nathan Wood, Grant Hall, and Sol Bamba during the off-season.
Wilder’s side were plotting a move for Hull City defender Jacob Greaves, as first revealed by Football Insider earlier this month (2 August).
However, the youngster has penned a new contract at the East Yorkshire side – meaning Boro have now turned attention to Clarke.
The Teessiders have started the season with three draws and two losses, and sit second from bottom in the Championship.
In other news, Football Insider updates as Everton set sights on Brighton star man.