2 players who could follow Jonny Howson out of Middlesbrough FC in 2025 | OneFootball

Howson is out of contract at the end of the season, and looks to be heading towards a Middlesbrough exit in the summer.

The 2024/25 season looks set to be Middlesbrough captain Jonny Howson's final year as a Middlesbrough player.

The 36-year-old has been the heartbeat of Middlesbrough's midfield ever since his £5m move from Norwich City in the summer of 2017, but he could be embarking on his final few months at the Riverside Stadium.

Howson is out of contract at the end of the season, having penned a one-year extension at the start of the campaign. The veteran central midfielder has rarely missed a game for Boro over the last seven seasons, but has suffered multiple injury setbacks through the first half of this term.

As such, his role - from a playing perspective - in Michael Carrick's side has begun to diminish, and with his heir apparent Aidan Morris looking like an excellent piece of recruitment by the club, this summer may be the right time to pass on the midfield baton to the young American international.

But which other Middlesbrough players might follow Howson out of the Rockliffe doors in 2025? Football League World takes a look at two Boro stars who could be headed for a Riverside exit this year.

Rav van den Berg

Middlesbrough fended off competition from European giants such as AC Milan, Dortmund, Ajax and Juventus to capture the signature of highly-rated centre-back Rav van den Berg in July 2023 on a four-year deal.

In his debut 2023/24 season on Teesside, the Dutch youth international showed why clubs of that ilk were coveting him, and cemented the notion that Boro had bagged themselves a real gem for the future.

Making 39 total appearances in his first season in English football as a teenager, Van den Berg oozed class from the start. He passed pretty much every test a young defender could face with flying colours, including having to play multiple games as a full-back - a position that isn't natural to him.

Whether it was making goal-saving blocks, tackles and interceptions, routinely winning his duels with centre-forwards, or showcasing his confidence and ability on the ball, Van den Berg's top-class potential was on full display in 2023/24.

Moving into the 2024/25 season, the Dutchman has missed a number of games through injury during the first half of the campaign, but when he has been fit and playing, he's been largely impressive once again.

His performances since moving to the Riverside haven't gone unnoticed though, with Tottenham having been continuously linked with the 20-year-old.

Should Middlesbrough fail in their promotion bid this season, retaining his services for the 2025/26 season could be a very tough ask.

Seny Dieng

Having been Middlesbrough's number one goalkeeper throughout the 2023/24 season, Seny Dieng opened the current campaign appearing fairly cemented in-between the sticks once again.

However, a combination of an injury setback as well as a string of costly mistakes has seen the Senegal international demoted to the number two role at the Riverside towards the end of 2024.

Replacing him was one of the club's very own in academy graduate Sol Brynn.

The 24-year-old has had to be patient whilst waiting for his Boro breakthrough, but after multiple successful loans with the likes of Swindon and Leyton Orient, the Middlesbrough-born goalkeeper has shown he's ready to take on the starting job full-time.

Brynn did suffer a dislocated shoulder injury during Boro's Boxing Day 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, and is expected to miss the majority of the remainder of the season.

That could allow Dieng one final chance at reclaiming his starting role in Carrick's side, but confidence in him from both his manager and the Middlesbrough supporters looks to have wavered.

As such, Brynn can probably expect to reprise his place in the Boro goal upon his eventual return, and with Dieng turning 31 in November, the former QPR keeper will surely have little interest in playing a backup role at this stage of his career. Therefore, he could be on the move at some point in 2025.