Middlesbrough FC suffer setback in attempts to sign Cheikh Sabaly | OneFootball

Boro look set to miss out on Cheikh Sabaly.

Middlesbrough's move for Metz forward Cheikh Sabaly has reportedly stalled.

Boro are looking to make it two wins from two in the Championship this weekend, but Rob Edwards' side face a tough away test at Millwall.

The Middlesbrough head coach will be looking for a big response from his players at The Den on Saturday, having seen his team dumped out of the League Cup in embarrassing fashion in midweek, losing to Doncaster Rovers 4-0.

A response is not the only thing he's currently looking for either, as with the 1 September transfer deadline appearing ever closer on the horizon, the former Luton Town boss will be desperate to add some final pieces of quality to his squad ahead of what is hoped will be a big campaign on Teesside.

Sabaly looks unlikely to end up at the Riverside

One player who may not be making a move to the Riverside Stadium this summer, however, is Cheikh Sabaly.

The Senegal international striker was reported on Thursday as being close to completing a move to Boro, as Edwards continues to go in search of a new striker this summer.

However, according to a fresh update from The Northern Echo, it's now understood that despite making a 'strong offer' for Sabaly, they've seen it rejected by Metz.

Middlesbrough now seem unlikely to want to raise their price for the 26-year-old, so unless the stances of at least one of the parties changes, then Sabaly will be staying put.

Despite this, Boro do look to be advancing in what would be one of the signings of the summer in the Championship, with highly-rated young Norwegian and Manchester City wonderkid Sverre Nypan set to head to the North East on loan.

There is understandable clamour for Sabaly, who scored the final goal in the Lions of Teranga's famous 3-1 win at the City Ground earlier this summer over England.

Despite his team, Metz, only being in French Ligue 2 last season, Sabaly made a real impact in the second tier, scoring 15 goals whilst also nabbing two assists in 34 league appearances, playing a key role in helping the club win promotion to Ligue 1.

The Ligue 2 market is definitely one that Boro are no strangers to shopping in either, with midfielder Abdoulaye Kanté brought in from Troyes in the summer as well.

Despite being only 5'6", Sabaly is extremely pacy and has a natural striker's instinct, and there's no doubt that Edwards would have loved to have him in his lineup to rival Tommy Conway, as the ex-Luton Town and Watford manager looks to return Middlesbrough to the Premier League for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

Sverre Nypan signing should still signal excitement on Teesside despite Sabaly setback

Despite seemingly missing out on Sabaly, it is not all doom and gloom for Middlesbrough supporters, as Nypan looks set to be on his way to Teesside.

The diminutive midfielder, only 18, was signed for £12.5m from Rosenborg by Man City this summer, and many will see this as a real coup for Boro to be able to attract a player of his quality to the Championship.

That would add to what has been a relatively decent window to welcome Edwards to Boro, with Dutch winger Sontje Hansen coming in from NEC Nijmegen and with familiar Championship names such as Alfie Jones and Callum Brittain arriving from Hull City and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

It should be no surprise that it looks as if there is money to spend though, with the sales of both Rav van den Berg and Josh Coburn to Koln and Millwall respectively earning Boro an expected windfall of over £15m with add-ons.

Although, on the pitch, it has definitely been a mixed bag of fortunes so far this season for Middlesbrough supporters. After an opening day victory over Swansea City to kickstart their campaign at the Riverside last Saturday, Boro were brought crashing back down to earth in midweek in the Carabao Cup.

Despite facing a Doncaster Rovers side, who were in the fourth tier last season, and who also made 11 changes from their opening League One match, Grant McCann's side ran Boro ragged.

Rovers scored four unanswered goals at the Riverside against a Boro side that included the likes of Conway, Delano Burgzorg and Morgan Whittaker.