David Strelec, a Slovan Bratislava striker, was highly connected with a move to Middlesbrough during the winter transfer window.
Slovan manager Vladimir Weiss claims Boro made a ‘decent offer’ for the 24-year-old centre-forward in January, as the Teessiders looked to find a replacement for Emmanuel Latte Lath.
Weiss revealed that Strelec had the option to transfer to Teesside, but because the player was only given permission to seek the move on the eve of deadline day, no deal was able to be completed in time.
The Slovakian international was said to be interested in joining Middlesbrough and has not ruled out leaving the Slovakian champions this summer.
“There is still interest in him” – Middlesbrough gives potential boost to David Strelec pursue
With it publicly known that elements of Middlesbrough’s recruiting team were anxious for the club to complete a deal for Strelec in January, they will undoubtedly have been frustrated to see the opportunity to win his signature slip away.
However, they may still get another chance, and if everything goes well, they may be able to land the centre-forward for less than they would have paid in the winter.
Speaking to Slovakian media via Teesside Live, Slovan’s CEO, Ivan Kmotrik, revealed that if Strelec sells their star scorer this summer, the club may earn less money.
He explained, “We took a chance with David. It is possible that a slightly lower offer will be made throughout the summer.
But David did not depart in the winter since we were not prepared for it. The offers were excellent, but the most fascinating ones arrived at the last minute (believed to be from Middlesbrough).
“We didn’t have a ready-to-sign transfer target, so it would have been a patchwork move. Today, I can’t say if he’ll stay or depart. There is still interest in him.
“Compared to the winter, he will only be a few months older, and his situation has not deteriorated considerably. Perhaps the club will earn little less, but he will be properly prepared and will provide enough recompense to the club.”
“Definitely” – David Strelec’s statements will undoubtedly boost Middlesbrough
With Kelechi Iheanacho, the striker Middlesbrough bought instead of Strelec in the winter window, set to return to parent club Sevilla with no hope of a permanent deal on Teesside, Boro will undoubtedly try to enhance their centre-forward ranks again this summer.
Tommy Conway is presently Boro’s only natural number nine, as Marcus Forss, Morgan Whittaker, and Delano Burgzorg all play as wingers.
Josh Coburn has returned to the Riverside Stadium following his loan spell with Millwall this season, but he has struggled to establish a starting role as a Middlesbrough player, and Millwall are reportedly interested in signing him permanently this summer.
Strelec has already stated that he is interested in playing in English football, which can only help Boro’s prospects of signing him. “I lacked individuality in Italy.
I admit that I struggled with communication as well. If I had offers from two equally good clubs, one from the English Premier League and the other from Serie A, I would have no trouble making a selection. “Definitely England,” he told the Slovakian press via Teesside Live.
Celtic are also reportedly interested in signing Strelec, who has 24 goals and eight assists in 46 total games this season (as of 13 May), five of which came in the Champions League, demonstrating his goal-scoring potential once more.
The Scottish giants would be stiff competition for Middlesbrough if they both made offers to Strelec in the summer, but with their recent club-record £22.5 million sale of Latte Lath in February, £17.6 million of which came as an initial fee, Boro should have the financial freedom to be as aggressive as they want.
As a result, an interesting summer awaits to see how this long-running transfer saga will ultimately conclude.
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