Mark Travers' estimated weekly wage as Middlesbrough eye fresh Bournemouth deal | OneFootball

Middlesbrough may have to make the Irish shot-stopper one of their highest earners if he were to join permanently this summer

Mark Travers has been playing second fiddle at Bournemouth ever since the Cherries were promoted to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season.

After being behind Neto in the pecking order for Bournemouth's first two seasons back in the top flight, the Irishman was pushed even further down by the loan arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga late in last summer's transfer window.

Even with Neto departing the club on loan to Arsenal for the season after Kepa's arrival, the feeling would be that the 27-year-old would again be second choice throughout the season, which proved the case as Travers has played just five times in the Premier League - two of which came against Chelsea, whom Kepa is unable to play against due to the loan agreement.

Therefore, Travers was sent out on loan this past January to the Championship for a second spell in the last two seasons. After spending over two months at Stoke City last season before an untimely recall due to an injury to Neto, Travers is looking to finish the current campaign at Middlesbrough.

And, after keeping two clean sheets in nine games so far at the Riverside, Michael Carrick's side are interested in making the Irish international's loan deal permanent, according to an exclusive report by Football League World.

With Travers still under contract until 2027, Boro will have to pay a fee to bring the shot-stopper to the north-east, but will they have to fork out plenty in terms of wages to convince a goalkeeper currently on a Premier League contract to stay past this season?

Mark Travers' current contract details

According to Capology, quadrupled his weekly earnings when he signed his new contract in 2022 from £5,000 to £20,000 per week.

The Irishman has played just 21 times in the Premier League since signing the new deal, so plenty of Cherries fans will feel that, despite being paid a relatively small amount compared to the rest of the squad, the weekly wage for Travers is still too much for a back-up goalkeeper.

Bournemouth's current back-up is academy graduate Will Dennis, who earns a small fraction of what Travers brings in per week, earning just £3,000 per week until his contract runs out at the end of the 2027/28 season.

Therefore, it would make sense if Bournemouth were to offload Travers permanently this summer, especially if they go into next season retaining Kepa or keeping Neto as their number one.

Mark Travers would be one of Middlesbrough's highest earners if a pay cut is not agreed

Currently, only five players owned by Middlesbrough own £20,000 per week or above, according to Capology, with Luke Ayling, the highest earner at the club, currently not on loan, earning £30,000 per week.

Therefore, if Middlesbrough were to pursue Travers permanently and offer him similar to what he is currently earning at Bournemouth, the 27-year-old would immediately become one of the highest earners at the Riverside.

When in form, Travers is one of the better goalkeepers in the second tier. In the 2021/22 season, the Irishman kept 20 clean sheets for a Bournemouth side that conceded the least number of goals that campaign en route to automatic promotion.

So, if Boro can recapture the form shown in Travers' only season as Bournemouth's true number one, then bringing him in as one of the club's highest earners may not be too wild of an idea.