"Profit to be made" - Key Middlesbrough pair tipped for potential summer transfer exits | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has identified two key players in Michael Carrick's squad that Boro may lose in the summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Football League World's Middlesbrough fan pundit believes Michael Carrick could be set to lose two key players from his squad this summer.

The Boro faithful have endured a highly frustrating season so far, having watched their team fail to cement themselves as a play-off side due to self-inflicted wounds, defensive mishaps and inconsistent performances.

However, Carrick has the backing of chairman and owner Steve Gibson, and the 43-year-old head coach has remained steadfast in his defiance that his squad can still achieve their goals this year.

But, with a couple of players heading for the free agent market as things stand, as well as a sizeable contingent of loan players returning to their parent clubs at the end of the campaign, Middlesbrough's starting XI could look very different come the start of the 2025/26 season.

Michael Carrick predicted to lose key Middlesbrough duo this summer

We asked our Middlesbrough fan pundit Jasper Hudson: 'Gut feeling, how many players do you see leaving Boro this summer and why?'

Hudson responded: "I don't think we'll be subject to too many important player departures.

"There might be a lot of rotating of deadwood and fringe players, but I can mainly see the two names of note leaving being Hayden Hackney; there was obviously interest from Porto. We'll see how he finishes out the season.

"There is interest in him, especially from European clubs. There could be a big fee involved, and I know Crystal Palace are also interested in Rav van den Berg.

"Again, there's money to be made, there's profit to be made. It would be a smart decision. They are two very good players and it would be a shame to lose both of them in the summer, but I feel like they are the two key players that will leave.

"There might be a few more rotation players like Dan Barlaser, who isn't really a loss to the squad if he leaves in the summer."

Michael Carrick may need to make wholesale changes to Middlesbrough squad this summer

There are certain areas of Carrick's squad that will require a fresh face or two to arrive in the summer.

Middlesbrough's right-back spot will surely be bolstered, whilst Boro may need to make one or two additions in central defence and in attack.

However, there is one key area of the squad that may require a major overhaul in the summer: central midfield.

As previously mentioned by Jasper, Middlesbrough could face a tough task retaining the services of Hackney in the summer, with Premier League and European clubs circling.

Away from their England youth international, Barlaser will be entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Riverside Stadium at the end of the season, and had Carrick been able to sign a central midfielder in January, the former Rotherham man may well have been allowed to leave in the winter window.

The evergreen Jonny Howson is out of contract at the end of the season, and with the Teesside favourite turning 37 in May off the back of his first injury-plagued season at the club since joining in 2017, he looks destined to finally call time on his Boro career in the summer.

Therefore, it's not out of the question whatsoever that all three of those players could be heading for the Rockliffe Park exit door this summer, which would leave just Aidan Morris and teenage academy graduate Law McCabe as the only natural centre-midfielders at the club.

If that is to be the case, all three of those outgoing stars may need to be replaced with a trio of new signings, in what would be a huge change to the makeup of Carrick's engine room options.