How much money Brentford FC are willing to pay to beat Crystal Palace in transfer race for Middlesbrough star | OneFootball

The Bees are interested in uniting Boro defender Ran van de Berg with his brother at the Gtech Community Stadium

Brentford are plotting a transfer raid in the region of £15m for Middlesbrough defender Rav van den Berg amid interest from Premier League and London rivals, Crystal Palace.

That is according to a fresh report from Alan Nixon via Patreon, with Keith Andrews interested in acquiring the 20-year-old's signature after being installed in the hotseat at the Gtech Community Stadium after the long-serving Thomas Frank departed for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Boro defender has impressed during his two-year stint at the Riverside Stadium since joining from Eredivisie outfit, PEC Zwolle, and was part of the Netherlands' Under-21 side which reached the European Championship semi-finals before suffering defeat to eventual winners, England.

It has been a summer of change on Teesside as well as in West London, with Michael Carrick - the man who brought van den Berg to the Championship - dismissed after a lacklustre end to the season as Boro missed out on the play-offs for the second successive campaign, eventually being replaced by former Watford and Luton Town boss, Rob Edwards.

Even prior to Edwards' appointment in this part of the North East, several stars for the Reds had been linked with moves to the Premier League, and the Dutchman certainly falls into said category, although some key factors could determine which top-flight club he will potentially move to this summer.

Van den Berg has previously been strongly linked with a move to Selhurst Park, with Oliver Glasner's side believed to have monitored the highly-rated defender's situation and performances as far back as February due to the interest in England international, Marc Guehi.

It has recently been reported that the FA Cup winners are plotting a £27m double raid for his services alongside Hayden Hackney, who has also been linked with a move to the Premier League amid his success with Lee Carsley's 'Young Lions' in Slovakia.

But, according to Nixon's fresh update, the Bees are looking to fend off the defender's long-term admirers and strike a deal in the region of £15m, having also kept a close eye on his development throughout last season.

Van den Berg is also no stranger to the West London outfit in more ways than one, with his brother, Sepp, also part of the squad at the Gtech, having made 35 appearances across all competitions during his first season at the club following a £25m switch from Liverpool last August.

Nixon also claims that van den Berg has also fallen down the pecking order in terms of Palace's transfer targets. Ousmane Diomande of Sporting CP is said to be Glasner's ideal replacement for Guehi, who has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League champions throughout the opening weeks of the summer transfer window.

Brentford FC factor may sway Rav van den Berg's thought process as Middlesbrough exit talk continues

Undoubtedly, it would be a huge early blow for the newly-appointed Edwards to see van den Berg depart, but the Bees' interest and factors which surround it could have huge ramifications on an exit.

The chance to feature alongside his brother at the heart of defence, alongside the conveyor belt of talent which have moved to Brentford in recent years before furthering their careers is an exciting proposition, as well as featuring in the Premier League for the very first time.

However, the defender still has two years of his current contract to run at the Riverside, meaning that Boro do hold a large amount of bargaining power in any potential deal, and they will look to eke out every last penny in order to enhance their own transfer budget if a departure was to eventually play out, allowing Edwards more scope to conduct a successful early rebuild.