Middlesbrough may return for Birmingham, Ipswich target given last three months at Liverpool: View | OneFootball

Liverpool academy product Kaide Gordon attracted interest from a host of Championship sides in January and his exploits in Premier League 2 since then are unlikely to put those clubs off.

He was signed by the Premier League side from Derby County as a 16-year-old for a fee that could rise to as much as £3million in 2021, a remarkable figure considering his age.

The 19-year-old was linked with temporary moves to Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town and Birmingham City in January, but he remained with his parent club.

Now finding form as part of the U21s setup, his performances there could well see Boro go back for their target this summer.

January interest will likely carry through to the summer

The links between Gordon and Birmingham caught the majority of the headlines around the January window due to then Blues boss Wayne Rooney having been the manager to provide him his senior debut at Derby as a 16-year-old.

Despite the strong Championship interest from multiple directions, the young winger opted to stay with his parent club as part of the U21s side.

It seems to have been a call that was rewarded, as Gordon went on to score two and assist three goals in nine PL2 appearances since January; form that will surely only serve to increase interest in him.

It could be time for Gordon's next step

Despite his academy form, he has not been one of the latest set of Liverpool youngsters to be brought through by Jurgen Klopp, suggesting a loan move may be the next step necessary to further his development.

His productivity in the U21 in the latter half of this season shows he has become comfortable at that level, so it appears likely that he needs to make the final jump to senior football.

Although Gordon does already have some senior pedigree, it will likely be an eye-opening experience to play weekly in front of a crowd at a competitive senior level, and the quicker he can make that adjustment, the better for his career.

The multiple clubs interested will no doubt be viewing his academy-level performances with intrigue, and there will undoubtedly be loan offers tabled this summer.

Boro, under the management of Michael Carrick, have one of the youngest average squad ages in the second tier, so it could be the perfect environment to develop in.

League performance elsewhere could provide Boro boost

Key rivals for the temporary services of Gordon, namely Birmingham, are not a surefire place to land on current viewing, having had five different managers in the dugout this season and currently facing the threat of relegation.

Such an unsettled environment may present the young Liverpool star with too many of the wrong sort of problems even if they do survive the drop but, if they are demoted to League One, that will surely be viewed as too low a level for Gordon to drop into, considering the way he is viewed at the Premier League side.

Up at the other end of the table, fellow Gordon admirers Ipswich currently sit in first place and are now one of the favourites for promotion to the top tier.

That presents the opposite problem from a Gordon perspective, as the Tractor Boys would surely be looking for proven, battle-hardened Premier League players for what would be an extremely tough test next season.

It is debatable whether the 19-year-old is ready for that jump, especially as part of a side that could find themselves in a relegation scrap next season, and he might only be afforded limited minutes at Portman Road in that scenario.

Those two relatively likely eventualities clear the path for Boro, who are almost definitely going to be a Championship side next season and will be looking at reaching the play-offs at a minimum, and potentially even pushing the automatic promotion spots.

Gordon's last three months in the PL2 will have only served to increase the attraction to the young star and the relative positions of the other two interested clubs appears to have put Boro in pole position this summer. It could be a deal that pays dividends for all parties next season.