Middlesbrough and Sunderland join Preston, Celtic and Rangers in transfer chase | OneFootball

The EFL transfer window re-opens in less than two months time, and that means that club scouts will be flocking to games across the UK and Europe to check out potential recruits ahead of the start of 2024.

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And one player who appears to be really in-demand is Hammarby centre-back Nathaniel Adjei, who will be scarcely known by English football fans.

The 21-year-old centre-back was linked with Old Firm pair Rangers and Celtic recently in Scotland, but over the weekend it was reported by Alan Nixon via Patreon that Preston North End had opened talks with Hammarby to try and loan the Ghanaian in in the next transfer window, with a view to making it a permanent deal in the future.

With the Swedish outfit - who have just lost their head coach Marti Cifuentes to another Championship team in the form of Queens Park Rangers - wanting a £3 million figure for Adjei's services though, it looks like the Lilywhites striking a deal is unlikely.

They have been joined though in the battle by two second tier rivals in the form of Sunderland and Middlesbrough, who both want to add Adjei to their ranks, according to The Sun.

There are also Belgian and Italian clubs keen on Adjei though, who is set to be very much in-demand when January comes about.

Who is Nathaniel Adjei?

Born and raised in Ghana, Adjei played football in his home nation for Danbort FC before joining Hammarby's feeder team, Hammarby TFF - who play in the third tier of the Swedish pyramid - on loan in the summer of 2021.

After impressing at a lower level, Hammarby bought Adjei outright and promoted him to their first-team squad, giving the defender a four- and-a-year contract until December 2026.

Adjei was eased into action in the final stages of the 2022 Allsvenskan season, but he has really had a breakout campaign in 2023, filling in at right-back on occasion and he has sometimes been on the bench, but the Ghana youth international has had a real run of games since late July onwards at centre-back.

He has played 20 times in the 2023 Allsvenskan campaign and also featured in Hammarby's Europa Conference League qualifiers against FC Twente in the summer, with his performances in all competitions leading to scouts flocking to the Tele2 Arena.

Which club needs Nathaniel Adjei the most?

Middlesbrough that could do with his services the most.

Ever since Michael Carrick came in to the Boro job over a year ago, the Teessiders have struggled to really keep clean sheets on a consistent basis, although they did keep three on the bounce in their seven-match winning run earlier this season.

Five goals conceded against Stoke and Plymouth Argyle though showed that more depth and strengthening is needed in that area, and if they could land Adjei then it would be a coup.

The price will probably be too much for PNE, whilst Sunderland have good defenders such as Aji Alese, Luke O'Nien and Dan Ballard with youngsters like Jenson Seelt waiting in the wings, so there will be playing time issues at the Stadium of Light too you'd imagine.