Middlesbrough look set to strengthen their attack ahead of the 2026/27 Championship season after making a breakthrough in talks to sign Tottenham striker Will Lankshear.
Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold took to X to break the news that Spurs are willing to let the youngster go in the coming days.
Lankshear has yet to break through in North London and if things run smoothly, he could soon find himself at the Riverside Stadium as Boro look to right the wrongs from last season.
Boro set to finally get their man
According to reports, Boro scouts have monitored Lankshear's progress for the last few years.
The Championship club made an enquiry to sign the 21-year-old in January, but Lankshear opted to stay put and honour his loan deal at Oxford United.
Oxford were unable to avoid relegation to League One, winning only 11 of their 46 matches, scoring 45 goals in the process.
Lankshear netted 11 of those during his first full season as a professional and Boro chiefs are now confident he is the man to lead the line.
After starting his career at Sheffield United in their academy, Lankshear joined Tottenham's academy in 2022, but only made three appearances for the first team.
A loan spell at West Bromwich Albion in 2025 helped him make 11 first-team appearances, but he failed to find the back of the net.
Last season's spell at the Kassam Stadium was Lankshear's first major breakthrough as a professional and with another season of regular football under his belt, Boro will hope he can kick on to new heights.
Boro fend off Championship rivals
Middlesbrough finished fifth last season and reached the Championship play-off final, that was after Southampton were kicked out of the final at the 11th hour.
Kim Hellberg could not get his team over the line at Wembley, with Boro losing to Hull.
Several first-team members of the squad have since moved on, with Alan Browne returning to Sunderland after his loan deal expired.
Darragh Lenihan and Marcus Forss have not had their contracts renewed, while Hayden Hackney has joined Premier League side Everton.
Boro have already signed winger Jeremy Sarmiento after his successful loan spell, while fellow forward Kyle Joseph has joined from Hull.
Should Lankshear put pen to paper at the Riverside Stadium, he will link up with former Oxford team-mate Myles Peart-Harris after he joined Boro on a free transfer.
Boro's breakthrough in talks has come at a crucial time, with several clubs circling around Lankshear with just a few weeks to go until the new season.
Southampton had hoped to sign Lankshear, while fellow Championship club Wolves were also hoping to start negotiations.
Football London reported the two second-tier clubs had opening bids rejected by Tottenham, while Spurs also rejected an approach from Sporting.
Spurs have now changed their plans for the youngster, with Boro meeting their asking price and he is set to travel north to finalise the move by the end of the week.
