Leeds United man considering Sheffield United and Middlesbrough offers | OneFootball

The 32-year-old spent the second half of the 2023/24 Championship campaign on loan at Middlesbrough, and is set to see his contract at Elland Road expire at the end of June, becoming a free agent in the process.

Sheffield United and Middlesbrough eye Ayling

According to Alan Nixon via Patreon, recently relegated Sheffield United and Middlesbrough are both keen to bring Ayling to their club on a free this summer.

In fact, the above report claims that both sides have already made their pitches to the experienced defender, who is now deciding which team to join.

Sheffield United are clearly looking to bring in Championship and promotion-winning experience following their recent relegation from the Premier League.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, must have liked what they have seen during Ayling's loan spell at the Riverside Stadium from January onwards.

Middlesbrough in pole position?

Sheffield United have perhaps made a late effort to sign the 32-year-old, with Ayling revealing recently that he thought a deal to join Boro was close this summer.

As such, Boro could consider themselves in pole position to land Ayling this summer.

At the end of the Championship campaign, the 32-year-old was quizzed on his Middlesbrough future, telling BBC Radio Tees, via Yahoo Sport: “I think things are close and I’m really excited about what the future holds,"

"I don’t think it’s done yet, so I can’t say too much. But the last four months, I’ve loved being out there.

"But from the first training session, the boys just took to me and I’ve loved every minute of it. We’ve fallen short of the play-offs this year, but it makes things exciting for next year because we’ve come so close. If we can keep our key players fit next year then I’m sure we’ll be up there.”

Carrick keen on Ayling stay

Boro boss Michael Carrick also expressed his desire to keep Ayling at the Riverside Stadium after his loan spell with the club.

Carrick praised Ayling's impact recently, and claimed that the club had got under the defender's skin.

"We’re trying to do something if we can," Carrick told TeessideLive on Ayling.

"It’s not always straightforward, but certainly, with the impact that Luke has had, it’s something that we’re trying to do. It looks like the club has got under his skin, and I won’t hide away from that.

It will certainly be interesting to see who Ayling decides to join, with offers on the table from two sides that could be competitive in the Championship next season.

Having been on loan at Middlesbrough, and given Ayling's comments above, they could perhaps be considered favourites for his signature, but you certainly would not rule anything out at this stage.