Update on Middlesbrough's transfer stance on Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer revealed | OneFootball

Middlesbrough are keen to strike a loan deal for Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer during the summer transfer window, according to this morning's Patreon report from Alan Nixon.

The young forward shone at the Riverside during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 11 goals and recording six assists in 23 competitive appearances.

With this, it comes as no surprise that Boro are interested in striking another transfer agreement for Archer, who will surely be keen to start regularly next season wherever he ends up.

Unai Emery could potentially assess him in pre-season before taking a further decision on his future, with the Villa man enjoying bright spells at Preston North End and at the Riverside during the past couple of seasons.

How much would Middlesbrough have to pay to buy Cameron Archer?

Archer would cost Boro £20m or more to bring in permanently and with Michael Carrick's side remaining in the Championship, a permanent agreement looks unlikely at this stage.

Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier were sold for big fees last summer - but they have already spent some of that money and more key sales will probably have to come to give themselves a chance of paying a fee for the 21-year-old.

Even if they are a few sales though, it would be difficult to see owner Steve Gibson paying a huge amount on one player in the second tier.

Would a loan deal be good for Middlesbrough?

Nixon has hinted that a loan-to-buy deal could potentially be negotiated and that could be a positive deal for Boro if they end up being promoted at the end of next season.

However, they ideally need a forward who can come in and start up top for the long term now, although many teams across the second tier will be relying on the loan market heavily during the upcoming window.

If they can strike a deal for a permanent forward this summer, that would be ideal but if they get the chance to take Archer back on loan, it's a deal they should be looking to wrap up.

He's a guaranteed goalscorer at Boro's level and would surely guide the club into the promotion mix on his own if he's given the opportunity to shine on Teesside again.

For the player, he will surely want to settle down somewhere for the long term at some point but a return to the Riverside would surely be too tempting to turn down.