Middlesbrough must keep tabs on £4m Nottingham Forest situation: View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough still hold on to feint hopes of reaching the Championship play-off places come the end of the season.

Michael Carrick's side were unbeaten in their Easter weekend fixtures, earning a late point against promotion-chasing Southampton, followed by a comfortable win over Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a Michael Ihiekwe own goal and Isaiah Jones' seventh goal of the season.

Boro remain six points behind sixth-placed Coventry City with six games of their season remaining, facing three sides above them in the table over the next month.

Despite not knowing what division they will be playing in next year, forward planning is reportedly already taking place at the Riverside Stadium, with a number of different situations to sort out, including who to bring in next season to bolster their hopes of reaching the Premier League.

Middlesbrough will have tough decisions to make in the summer

With the season coming to a close, the time has come to start looking ahead to next term, with progression at the forefront of Middlesbrough's minds having failed to improve on their fourth placed finish last campaign.

Following the end of this term, three players permanently at the club will be out of contract, while the remaining four will return to their parent clubs.

Luke Thomas has yet to establish himself in Carrick's side since his switch from Leicester City in the January window, while on the opposite side of defence, Leeds United's Luke Ayling has impressed on Teeside, notching four assists in his 14 appearances, including one in their win over the Owls.

Lewis O'Brien is another player that Boro will be keen to add to their squad at the end of the season, with Carrick confirming that plans are underway for next season, but depending on whether Nottingham Forest remain in the Premier League, the midfielder could force his way back into the side having impressed for them in their promotion-winning season in the Championship. Sam Greenwood is the final loan player that will leave the club at the end of the season.

Of the players permanently contracted to the club, goalkeeper Jamie Jones is likely to leave the Riverside Stadium, with Jonny Howson confirming his desire to remain at the club, despite turning 36 next month.

Paddy McNair is also another player that will be out of contract in June. The defender, who has been at the club since 2018, has not been used frequently since Carrick's arrival, with the Boro boss revealing that contract talks have yet to take place with the 28-year-old.

Should the Northern Irishman leave the club in the summer, it would free up a lot of wages with McNair on £20,000 a week according to Capology's estimates, which could allow Boro to return to a target they identified during the January window.

It was reported during the latest transfer window that Middlesbrough, along with Leicester City, were interested in the services of Nottingham Forest captain, Joe Worrall.

A move subsequently didn't materialise, and the defender swapped the Premier League for the Turkish Süper Lig, joining Besiktas on loan for the remainder of the season having fallen out of favour at the City Ground.

The Black Eagles have the option to make the deal permanent come the end of the campaign, and according to Turkish outlet, Sabah, Worrall has expressed the desire to remain with the club beyond this term.

While a return to England is not off the cards, Middlesbrough could reignite their interest in the 26-year-old should McNair leave the club and bolster their defensive options for next season.

Worrall proved during his time with Forest that he is a capable defender in the Championship, having captained the Reds' return to the Premier League two seasons ago.

With Matthew Clarke struggling with injuries for the majority of this season and Rav van den Berg is still very inexperienced at this level, Worrall could be the ideal candidate to take Boro to the next level.

His leadership skills along with the ability to either play out from the back or be a no-nonsense defender is something Boro have lacked this season, with inconsistent results this term hampering their progression to comfortably be within the top six places.