Middlesbrough are in advanced talks with Lausanne about signing Senegalese striker Kaly Sene. The Teessiders are also optimistic of completing a loan move for Newcastle United full-back Matt Targett in the coming days.
Boro officials are said to have agreed on the basis of a potential Sene deal with their colleagues in Lausanne, and they expect that additional conversations will lead to a definitive agreement.
This would allow the 24-year-old to fly to England for a medical and finalize the details of his prospective transfer to Teesside.
Sene was born in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, and spent his childhood football career in Italy, where he represented Juventus in the UEFA childhood League.
He moved to Switzerland in the summer of 2020 to join Basel, then went on loan to Omonia Nicosia and Grasshoppers before signing with Lausanne in 2023.
He has 16 goals in 68 appearances for Lausanne and has started the current season in spectacular manner, scoring in all three league games.
He has also scored three goals in the UEFA Conference League’s qualifying rounds, helping Lausanne advance to the play-off stage.
He was part of Lausanne’s 1-1 draw with Besiktas on Thursday night, but Boro are aiming to finalise a deal before the return game in Istanbul next week.
If Sene is signed, he will boost Boro’s attacking unit, which is now highly reliant on first-choice forward Tommy Conway. With Josh Coburn joining Millwall at the start of the summer, Delano Burgzorg and Marcus Forss are the only attacking options for Conway.
During his pre-match press conference ahead of today’s game against Norwich City, Rob Edwards confirmed Boro were looking to strengthen in a “couple of areas.” In addition to closing in on Sene, the Teessiders are also putting the finishing touches on a loan move for Targett.
The Newcastle left-back is poised to sign on a season-long loan and should be confirmed as a Boro player within the next few days.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has approved Targett’s exit, after he struggled to find regular game time on Tyneside since joining the Magpies on a permanent basis in a £15 million move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022.
The 29-year-old has almost 200 senior matches under his belt, including stints at Southampton and Fulham.
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