The news that Callum Brittain, a defender for Blackburn Rovers, will be joining his teammates in Spain for the team’s preseason training camp has thrown Middlesbrough a setback in their pursuit of the player.
Middlesbrough fired head coach Michael Carrick last month following a dismal 10th-place Championship result the previous season, and Rob Edwards, a former Luton Town manager, was named as his successor.
Almost a month into his job at the Riverside Stadium, Edwards has failed to add any new senior players, and Boro, Leicester City, and crisis-plagued Sheffield Wednesday are the only three teams in the second division that have not signed this summer.
With journalist Alan Nixon disclosing on Friday that the Teesside team is getting ready to submit a new proposal of £3 million plus extras for Brittain after their previous offer of £2.5 million was turned down, it appeared as though that was about to change.
| According to FootMob, Callum Brittain’s 24/25 stats (all competitions) | |
| Appearances | 35 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 5 |
The 27-year-old will now depart for Spain on Sunday with the rest of the Blackburn team as the club continues to stand firm on their valuation of one of their key players, even though it has been understood that the player wants to move to Teesside this summer. This is because no deal has yet been reached for Brittain.
In their pursuit of Blackburn Rovers defender Callum Brittain, Middlesbrough has encountered a new obstacle.
Brittain was instrumental in Blackburn’s elimination from the Championship play-offs on the penultimate day of the previous season, and he is reportedly drawing interest from Derby County and Wrexham this summer in addition to Middlesbrough.
Rovers offered Brittain a new contract as he approaches the last year of his current one at Ewood Park, but he turned it down. Following the release of information about Boro’s initial bid, he requested to be taken off the roster for last Saturday’s preseason match against Accrington Stanley.
Blackburn head coach Valerien Ismael stated following the team’s 2-1 victory over the League Two team that there is a lot of interest in Brittain, especially from one club. However, he insisted that they would have to raise their offer in order to reach an agreement, and he also cautioned the defender that he would not let the situation drag on.
When Ismael informed the BBC, “He didn’t accept our offer,”
“[The club] must return with a higher offer if they want Callum. He is a really essential player, thus I don’t want to see him go.
“Callum made the independent decision not to play today,” Ismael added.
I told him rather plainly that I would win this game, but I’m hoping that next week will bring more clarity as we can’t do that every week. Some teams, particularly one, are highly interested in Callum; we’ll see what happens in the next days.”
Although it appears that Boro is getting ready to make a better offer, Britain played 58 minutes in Rovers’ 1-0 preseason friendly victory over Everton on Saturday, since the two teams are still thought to have different valuations.
Boro’s efforts to finalize a deal for the former Barnsley player may be seriously hampered by Blackburn’s confirmation that Brittain will join the rest of the team for their week-long preseason training camp in Spain, where they will play Elche and Qatar SC.
Callum Brittain’s displeasure with Middlesbrough may increase following Blackburn Rovers’ revelation
Ismael made it clear that he would not allow the Brittain transfer mystery to interfere with Blackburn’s preseason preparations, and it appears the Frenchman has kept his promise by bringing the defender to Spain.
Negotiations between Rovers and Middlesbrough might go on for another week, but it will be challenging to finalize the transfer while Brittain is out of the country. Additionally, the most recent delay is a major setback for Edwards, who needs a new right-back before the season begins.
Josh Key, a defender for Swansea City, has been connected to Boro, although it is extremely doubtful that the team would be willing to pay the enormous £5 million the Welsh team is apparently requesting for the 25-year-old if they are having trouble meeting Brittain’s valuation.
Therefore, it looks like Middlesbrough’s quest for a right-back solution will continue well into the summer.
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