Middlesbrough: AFC Bournemouth join Ipswich Town & Crystal Palace in Ben Doak transfer tug of war | OneFootball

The Cherries are now believed to be eyeing a deal for Doak - and are keen to win the race for his signature.

AFC Bournemouth are keen to win the race for Liverpool starlet and current Middlesbrough loanee Ben Doak.

According to a report from Alan Nixon, they have now overtaken Crystal Palace in the race to recruit the winger, who has shone at the Riverside during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, with Ipswich Town also keen and have had a bid rejected.

Boro did well to recruit him on a season-long loan deal during the summer window - and they have richly benefitted from having the Scotland international at their disposal.

Already representing his national team at just 19, he is clearly a highly rated player and it may only be a matter of time before he takes the step up to the Premier League.

The presence of other attacking talents, including Finn Azaz and Emmanuel Latte Lath, may have helped Doak to thrive under Michael Carrick, but the winger deserves a huge amount of credit for adapting to the Championship fairly quickly.

He could be part of a side that goes out to win promotion at the end of the season, but with clubs now taking an interest in him this month, his future on Teesside has become unclear.

AFC Bournemouth overtake Crystal Palace in Ben Doak race

It looks as though Palace are going to wrap up a deal for Romain Esse, which could reduce the need for them to secure a move for Doak too.

That could have been a boost for Boro, but there's other interest in the winger's signature.

Bournemouth are now believed to be firmly in the mix for him, and with Antoine Semenyo potentially set to leave the Vitality Stadium during the January window, they are hoping to seal a deal for the Scotsman, either during this window or in the summer.

The Reds are still keen to secure £30m for his signature, according to Nixon, but whether that prevents a January deal being struck is currently unclear.

The Cherries also rate Semenyo at £50m, so a move for Doak and the current Bournemouth man may have to wait until the summer.

High valuations could work in Middlesbrough's favour

Doak and Semenyo are both excellent players.

The former has shown his class at Boro this season - and the latter deserves a lot of credit for the way he's developed during his time on the south coast.

However, both are valued very highly and January is a window that can be difficult to do business in, so moves for the pair may not work out.

If a move for Semenyo doesn't materialise, the Cherries could wait until the summer to secure a move for Doak.

That would be positive for a Boro side that will be keen to keep the winger for the remainder of the season.

The player will surely want certainty at some point too - and Boro will hope speculation surrounding his future doesn't affect his performance levels.