Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick drops Tommy Conway transfer hint amid reported £4.5m deal | OneFootball

Boro appear to be on the verge of sealing the signing of the Scottish international.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick has said that he hopes to have some transfer news soon, with the Teessiders reportedly agreeing a fee with Bristol City for the transfer of Tommy Conway.

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie reported on Wednesday night that Boro and the Robins had come to an agreement on a deal for the 21-year-old forward.

£4.5 million is the reported fee for Conway's services, and he is set to undergo a medical on Thursday ahead of his move to the Riverside Stadium.

This move, if it comes off, hasn't been without its difficulties. Middlesbrough opened the bidding war for Conway with a £5 million offer, but the money that was to be paid to City was heavily incentives-based and that wasn't going to work for them.

Hull City ended up offering the same total package as Boro did, but the terms of payment weren't known. Liam Manning's side also held talks with Burnley about the possibility of swapping Conway for Scott Twine and Luke McNally, according to Bristol Live.

Boro's desire to get a forward into the building, to accompany Emmanuel Latte Lath and Josh Coburn, has been known throughout the summer. The Northern Echo reported that Carrick and his team were willing to be patient in their pursuit of another attacking option though.

Michael Carrick responds to £4.5m Tommy Conway transfer reports

Carrick's side advanced to the next round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night with a profound 3-0 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road.

They certainly didn't look like they needed another forward against last season's third-place Championship finishers. Coburn got himself on the scoresheet and Latte Lath was only used for the final 10 minutes or so.

Carrick remained tight-lipped about the ever developing Conway transfer scenario, but he did say that he was hopeful that something will be done soon.

"I can’t really say anything," said Carrick, via The Northern Echo.

"When anyone is our player, I’ll happily talk about it, but until that moment, then out of respect, I can’t really say much. I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do.

"But, sure, as soon as there’s anything, I’ll speak on it. And hopefully there will be soon. Then, we’ll let you know and I’ll be happy to speak about it then."

Bringing in the Scotland international will address the slight depth problem Middlesbrough and Carrick had up front.

Neither of Boro's two current centre-forwards have an impeccable fitness record, so it was important that they brought in another body to help carry the load. Conway, though, should be able to do more than that.

He hit double figure goals last season and, in a team that expects to be up near the top, there's a chance he could improve on that.

His minutes will be reduced by the presence of Latte Lath, who looks set to be Carrick's number one option up-front, unless he can find a clever way to play the two of them together.

Whatever way they are deployed, the two of them will give Boro a brilliant one-two punch to give to their opponents.

Even though we only have two games to go off, and only one in the league, the Teessiders have started the new campaign well, and adding Conway to this group that is already clicking should be an ominous thought for those other sides who want to occupy the Championship's top spots.