Middlesbrough current stance on re-signing loan hero from Aston Villa revealed | OneFootball

Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer is not in Middlesbrough's thinking at the current time, according to The Northern Echo.

Boro missed out on the play-offs last season after an inconsistent campaign, but a run of just one defeat in the final 12 games has given supporters plenty of hope going into the summer.

Michael Carrick has already made one signing this summer, with defender Luke Ayling joining on a permanent basis from Leeds United after a successful loan spell.

Meanwhile, according to The Athletic, Boro have agreed a fee in the region of £3m to sign Columbus Crew midfielder Aidan Morris.

And The Northern Echo claimed Carrick will now turn his attention towards bolstering his attacking options, with a striker and a versatile forward top of Boro's wishlist.

Middlesbrough transfer plans update

According to the report, Middlesbrough's preference is to sign a striker permanently rather than on loan and Archer is not expected to join Ayling and Morris on Teesside this summer.

The 22-year-old is not currently on Boro's radar, with the club accepting that a deal for the Aston Villa striker is currently unrealistic.

Archer enjoyed a very successful spell on loan at the Riverside two seasons ago, scoring 11 goals and setting up a further six in 20 appearances in the Championship after joining on loan in January.

Carrick initially turned to the England Under-21 forward as he sought to add a different dimension to Middlesbrough's forward line and take the goalscoring burden away from Chuba Akpom.

"It's our job to help develop him as a player," Carrick told BBC Radio Tees shortly after Archer arrived at the Riverside.

"He'll bring us something a little bit different. I think we've got good options and our attacking play has been really good in the league.

"There's a good variety of play and Cam is here to add to that."

The move paid off, as Archer's goals helped Boro reach the play-offs, where they eventually lost 1-0 on aggregate to Coventry in the semi-final.

Cameron Archer set for Aston Villa return

The forward returned to Aston Villa last summer, before joining Sheffield United in a deal worth £18m, which included a buy-back obligation in the event of relegation.

The clause was triggered after the Blades' return to the Premier League ended disastrously, as they finished rock bottom with just 16 points and conceded a Premier League record 104 goals in 38 matches.

Archer had a negligible impact at Bramall Lane, starting just 21 of his 30 Premier League appearances and scoring just four times in the process, while registering a solitary assist.

According to The Northern Echo, the 22-year-old is thought to want to play Premier League football next season, either at Villa Park or elsewhere.

The report goes on to add that Middlesbrough have identified their preferred target for this summer, but will keep an eye on Archer from afar.

Last month, Football League Worldexclusively revealed that Boro were interested in signing Tottenham striker Will Lankshear to provide competition for Emmanuel Latte Lath, who scored 16 goals in 30 appearances in the Championship last term and netted nine times in the final eight games of the season.

And earlier this week, London World reported Middlesbrough have opened talks with Spurs to bring the 19-year-old, who moved to north London from Sheffield United in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth a reported £2m, to Teesside next season.

Hopes of Archer returning to the Riverside, however, seem very slim and Carrick will in all likelihood use his budget elsewhere.