How much Middlesbrough FC may have to pay Danny Ings in wages as West Ham figures crunched | OneFootball

Boro have held talks with Ings, but the 32-year-old will likely have to accept a lower wage than he has become used to in his career

Danny Ings could be set for a return to the Championship for the first time since his 21-goal haul in the 2013/14 season whilst at Burnley.

The Northern Echo have reported that Ings is one of the attacking options being considered at Middlesbrough, as Boro look to at least make a return to the top six under Rob Edwards this season.

The 32-year-old is currently a free agent after he departed West Ham United following the conclusion of his contract. He’d spent two-and-a-half years at the London Stadium, but struggled to get into the team at a regular rate, being an unused substitute 33 times in the last two seasons.

So, Middlesbrough won’t have to pay anything in terms of a transfer fee to bring Ings to the Riverside, but the three-time England international has been on top-level wages ever since his move to Liverpool from Burnley in 2015, so tying him down to a contract that both parties feel is acceptable may prove a tough hurdle to jump over.

Danny Ings’ estimated wage at West Ham United

West Ham were heading into the second half of the 2022/23 season needing squad depth as they ventured into the latter stages of the UEFA Conference League, so they paid an initial £12 million to Aston Villa for Danny Ings, which ultimately rose to £15 million after they avoided relegation from the Premier League.

Ings was instantly made one of the Hammers’ highest-paid players at the time, signing a contract which Capology estimates saw him earn a whopping £125,000 per week. Only Lucas Paqueta’s £150,000 estimated weekly wage topped what the then-30-year-old was earning at the London Stadium.

West Ham did experience European glory that season, and therefore had more flexibility in terms of how much money they were able to pay their players, but even last season, Ings’ wage was the third highest out of everyone at the club.

The 32-year-old made just one Premier League start last season, and even then was substituted at half-time as the Hammers gifted Leicester City one of only six league wins in the 2024/25 campaign.

Ings played in just one of the final 14 league games, sometimes not even making the bench under Graham Potter. It’s safe to say that offloading his hefty weekly wage is something that comes as a relief for West Ham going into the 2025/26 season.

Danny Ings will need to accept a smaller wage than he is used to at Middlesbrough

Last season’s highest-paid player in the Championship was Kelechi Iheanacho, who played on loan at the Riverside for Middlesbrough in the second half of the campaign.

He was estimated to earn £75,000 per week, with Patrick Bamford’s £70,000 per week representing the highest non-loan player’s contract.

Ings has been estimated to have been making at least £120,000 per week since he arrived at Aston Villa in 2021, so he has been a six-figure player for four seasons now. Before then, he had been earning £75,000 per week during his time at Southampton and Liverpool, which dates back to the summer of 2015.

The last two seasons have seen Ings score once in each campaign. With a storied injury history and his career arguably beginning to wind down, with him turning 33 before the beginning of next season, it’ll be hard to see Boro justifying paying anywhere near that amount per week, especially when their highest-paid player at the moment only earns an estimated £30,000 per week.

Ings could still be a dangerous striker at this level when fit and with regular game time, but he’ll have to accept a lot less than he is used to being on if he were to be brought in by a Championship club this summer.