Middlesbrough FC should raise Finn Azaz, Southampton demand after shock Ipswich Town transfer detail | OneFootball

Middlesbrough should use Kasey McAteer's fee for his impending Ipswich Town move as benchmark for their valuation of Finn Azaz.

Middlesbrough FC should use the fee Ipswich Town are set to pay Leicester City for Kasey McAteer as a benchmark for how much their valuation of star man Finn Azaz is actually worth.

Reports from The Athletic on Friday emerged that the Tractor Boys have reached an agreement with their Championship rivals for the 23-year-old, which is said to be worth £12m guaranteed over three years plus add-ons.

With such a hefty fee for a player who hasn't featured much for the Foxes over the last few seasons, this will surely turn heads on Teesside as to how much they value one of their prized assets.

Azaz has been the subject of interest from Southampton over the summer, with Boro reportedly setting an asking price of around £12m for the versatile Republic of Ireland international attacking midfielder.

However, with the news of McAteer's fee for his imminent switch to Portman Road, Rob Edwards will likely feel he could raise that asking price, given Azaz's contributions over recent years.

Middlesbrough asking for around £12m for Finn Azaz from Southampton

There's no real surprise that Azaz has been the subject of interest from promotion-hopefuls Southampton, as he once again proved to be an excellent source of goals and creativity last term, racking up 12 goals and 11 assists from 45 Championship appearances.

According to The Northern Echo, Middlesbrough set their valuation of the 24-year-old at around £12m, as Will Still's Saints looked to prize him away with a move to the south coast.

However, the latest reports from BBC Radio Tees suggest that Boro have actually turned down a £12m bid from the Hampshire side, despite the bid seemingly matching the valuation that the club were said to be holding out for.

Manager Edwards told the BBC in an interview: "We have rejected a bid from a football club.

"That's as far as I need to go on that. Finn is our player right now, and he's up for selection at the weekend (away at Norwich City on Saturday)."

Now, with the confirmation of the rejected bid, Boro should look to use another deal happening between two other Championship clubs to reassess their valuation of Azaz, and whether they could demand a higher fee.

Boro should use £12m Kasey McAteer fee to reassess Azaz valuation

Now that a fee between Ipswich and Leicester for McAteer has been revealed, Middlesbrough can certainly use the proposed value of the transfer as food for thought at the size of the price tag they put on Azaz.

The Irishman's reported asking price is around £12m, which is also exactly the same fee that has been agreed for McAteer, but you can't help thinking that Boro could push that up when you compare the two players pound for pound.

Firstly, age won't have much of an impact on value, as there is just one year between the two. Whilst McAteer comes with more Premier League experience, Azaz has been a standout at Championship level over the last couple of seasons.

The Leicester man hasn't played anywhere near as much football as his international teammate in recent years, and his output is far inferior, even at Championship level in 2023/24.

When you weigh it up and decide which player you'd rather have for £12m, it's more than likely that almost everyone would choose Azaz, thanks to the numbers he's producing on a consistent basis in the second tier for both Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle over the last few years.

With that in mind, Middlesbrough should certainly use the McAteer fee to reassess their valuation of Azaz to raise the asking price, which could either land them an increased profit, or serve as a deterrence for interested parties.

Especially given that the transfer window slams shut on 1 September, Boro should really be asking for a premium price if they are to sell their talismanic attacker between now and the turn of the month, as Edwards will not want to lose a star player without the time to reinvest it back into his squad.

The Teessiders would also be selling to a direct promotion rival in Southampton, which again, should only serve to ramp up their asking price and tolerance to sell.