Predicting Middlesbrough FC's 2 next big money departures ft Rav van den Berg | OneFootball

Boro have cashed in on numerous sellable assets over recent transfer windows, and FLW predicts the two players who may be next.

Middlesbrough have cashed in on multiple key assets over recent transfer windows, which has seen the club generate significant profits.

Largely down to the excellent work of Middlesbrough's recruitment team led by head of football Kieran Scott, Boro have turned huge profits on various players over the last few seasons after implementing a new philosophy of buying low, and selling high.

Chuba Akpom, Morgan Rogers, Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier have all been sold in the last two years, with their respective transfers all reported to have been worth, or had the potential to be worth, eight-figure fees.

Thanks to some brilliant scouting and strong negotiation skills, Boro have littered Michael Carrick's squad with further sellable assets, as they look to achieve promotion to the Premier League this season.

But, so long as the club remains in the Championship, retaining the services of top players becomes increasingly difficult. As such, Football League World predicts Middlesbrough's next two big money sales.

Rav van den Berg

Beating some of European football's biggest clubs to his signature last summer, such as AC Milan, Juventus and Dortmund, it was obvious from the start that Middlesbrough had pulled off a real coup to land Rav van den Berg.

The Dutch youth international's performances in a Boro shirt since have ensured that would absolutely be true, as the 20-year-old has quickly developed into one of the brightest young defenders in English football outside the Premier League.

Whether it was filling in at full-back or playing in his natural role as a right-sided centre back, Van den Berg has rarely failed to look like a top class defender, but now and for the future.

However, where there's exceptional young talent in the Championship, interest from top-flight clubs is never far away, and that's certainly been the case with Boro's flying Dutchman.

Tottenham were the team most heavily linked with a move for Van den Berg over the summer window, but through a combination of Middlesbrough staying true to their 'not for sale' stance and the player's desire to remain committed to the club for this season at least, he would remain on Teesside.

Winning promotion to the Premier League has always been something Middlesbrough have looked to achieve in recent years, but it may be even more important to achieve that feat this season should they wish to keep hold of their star defender.

If Boro are confined to another season of second tier football next season, it could well be very difficult for them to keep hold of Van den Berg. But with how impressive he's been, the Teessiders should be set to receive a large sum of compensation.

Emmanuel Latte Lath

After the aforementioned Championship golden boot winner Akpom departed the Riverside Stadium for Ajax last summer, the big question on Teesside was: 'Who is going to score the goals now?'.

Well, in Ivorian international Emmanuel Latte Lath, the answer to that question was answered emphatically. The 25-year-old bagged 18 goals in all competitions during his debut season with the Boro, 16 of which came in just 30 Championship appearances.

As with Van den Berg, that form didn't go unnoticed across European football, as Middlesbrough braced themselves for a long summer of heavy transfer interest in their number nine.

Tutto Mercato Web claimed that Wolves, Salzburg, Stuttgart and Monaco all showed an interest in the Ivorian, but all advances were rebuffed. Come Deadline Day, Boro looked to have safely navigated their way out of the summer window with Lath still in their possession.

But, in the final hours of the window, Ipswich Town threatened to unravel all their hard work, with Kieran McKenna's side tabling a bid that was understood to be around £20m.

Lath appeared keen on the move, and his chance to realise a dream of playing Premier League football, as he was reported to be frustrated after Boro rejected the Tractor Boys' approach.

However, after talking that decision out with Boro's decision makers, Lath - who initially was told to stay at home ahead of Boro's trip to Cardiff City the following day - raced down to the Welsh capital to link up with the team, and make himself available for selection.

So, whilst Lath may be getting his head down and looking to contribute to Middlesbrough's season between now and January, once the winter window opens, the striker could once again be the subject of significant interest.

Like Van den Berg, Boro may well be able to convince him to stay in the North East for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, but if the club isn't plying their trade in the Premier League for 2025/26, it could be very difficult to keep hold of Lath for another Championship campaign.