If Middlesbrough needed any more persuading that a certain free-scoring centre-forward is the appropriate man to lead Rob Edwards’ Championship promotion push, his midweek brace could not have arrived at a better moment.
EFL Analysis can confirm that, while Middlesbrough has spoken with Danny Ings, the Riverside club hopes to sign two forwards before the September deadline.
Ings, Championship Player of the Year in his most recent second-tier season, 2013/14, would bring a much-needed ruthlessness to a Boro team that came short of a top-six finish after losing star poacher Emmanuel Latte Lath last January.
However, at the age of 33, there may be worries about Ings’ ability to endure a demanding 46-game season.
Hence Middlesbrough’s aim to bring in another alongside the ex-West Ham, Burnley, Aston Villa, and Southampton striker.
And David Strelec, the Slovakia international who has long been linked with a move to England’s North East, does not appear to be resting on his laurels after scoring 25 goals in 2024/25.
Middlesbrough target David Strelec is expected to earn Slovan Bratislava £8.5 million.
Strelec only played for half an hour in Slovan Bratislava’s Champions League qualifier against Bosnian club HSK Zrinjski Mostar on Tuesday night.
He did, however, find time to score two key goals. A quick brace eased any second-leg worries and set up a play-off against Glasgow Rangers.
Strelec salvaged a tie after cutting Zrinjski Mostar’s 2-0 lead on the night with a cool left-footed effort, securing a 6-2 aggregate triumph. He took his time, sat down a defender, and fired into the open net after latching onto a poor back ball.
Since the beginning of last season, the Slovakia international has scored 28 goals in 50 club games. He scored twice in the Champions League competition in 2023/24, including a penalty against Atletico Madrid.
Strelec’s European heroics, according to Peter Duris, a former player turned pundit in his home Slovakia, demonstrate why Slovan Bratislava must demand every penny if negotiations with Middlesbrough go.
“Strelec has made a price tag [for himself] of over 10 million euros in this two-leg tie,” Duris tells Sport 24. “There aren’t many [number] nines right now, and I see him in one of the top teams. I don’t think he needs to worry about not making it.
“He’s in the best shape of his life.” He is also rare in that he is a left-footer who scores goals. He has been well-trained, and I am pleasantly impressed by him.
“If Slovan does not advance to the main stage of the Champions League, they can easily move him to a top club for more than 10 million.”
Or, in English currency, £8.5 million.
Middlesbrough lost out on Marc Guiu to Sunderland.
EFL Analysis can confirm that Middlesbrough scouted Chelsea’s Marc Guiu earlier in the summer. The former Barcelona sensation wants to advance his career, and a move to play-off champions Sunderland is in the works.
Boro also lost out to Watford for Vivaldo Semedo.
Strelec, on the other hand, has greater experience, is more proved, and is likely to cost significantly more than Semedo.
But, with Middlesbrough’s return to the Premier League priceless, Strelec would be worth every penny if he moved to the Riverside and followed in the footsteps of Latte Lath and Chuba Akpom.
“He is currently a player who, when even half-chances arise that the opponent offers him, can take advantage of them perfectly,” says Ladislav Molnar, who played for Slovan Bratislava for two seasons in the 1990s.
“He is in great form, which is excellent for Slovan.”
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