MIDDLESBOUGH are set to rekindle their interest in Timothee Kolodziejczak after the centre-half announced his intention to leave Sevilla next month.

Boro head coach Aitor Karanka sounded out the possibility of signing Kolodziejczak, a 25-year-old centre-half who can also play at left-back, in the summer after a proposed move for Neven Subotic fell through.

At the time, Kolodziejczak opted to remain with Sevilla, having moved to Spain from French club Nice in the summer of 2015, but he has barely featured for his current employers this season.

The arrival of Jorge Sampaoli as Sevilla boss in the summer has left him kicking his heels on the sidelines, and his only first-team action since September came in a Copa del Rey game against lower-league Formentera.

Prior to joining Sevilla, he was regarded as one of the brightest young defensive prospects in French football, having represented every French representative team from Under-16s to Under-20s.

He is hoping to kick-start his career with a move in next month’s transfer window, with Middlesbrough officials known to be aware of his growing unhappiness in Seville.

“I have some concrete offers to leave,” said Kolodziejczak. “I’ve had some great times with this club, I’ve discovered another culture, and honestly it’s easy to adapt to this city and this club. I played 50 games last season, but today things are different.”

Boro are expected to be in the market for another defender next month, with huge question marks over the future of Daniel Ayala.

Karanka has grown increasingly frustrated with Ayala’s battle against a long-standing ankle problem, and despite playing a pivotal role in last season’s successful promotion push, the Spaniard has only made four league starts this term.

If he leaves next month, he will have to be replaced, and if even if he does not, Karanka may well conclude that a defensive reinforcement is still required.

Bernardo Espinosa has failed to make much of an impression since joining Boro from Sporting Gijon, while the Teessiders will struggle to retain Calum Chambers beyond the end of the season, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger seemingly determined to take the England Under-21 international back to the Emirates.

Karanka could opt to make a new approach to Subotic, but while the Serbian has recovered from the rib problem that meant he failed a medical in the summer, he is yet to conclusively prove his fitness with Borussia Dortmund.

Kolodziejczak might be short of match fitness, but he boasts a proven pedigree in Spain and France and would be able to slot straight into the Boro side in the second half of the season if required.

Boro’s defensive strength has been a key factor in their recent good run, with Monday’s clean sheet against Hull making it three shut-outs in the space of six games.

From the moment he arrived on Teesside, Karanka has built his side’s success on the back of a strong defence, and only three sides – Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham – have conceded fewer Premier League goals than Middlesbrough.

That underlines just how resolute and well-organised they have been, and as was the case on Monday, Boro’s attackers know that one goal will often prove sufficient to win them a game.

“As a team, we know that if we score, we will always have a good chance of winning the game,” said Gaston Ramirez, who will take on another of his former sides when Boro visit Southampton on Sunday, having scored Monday’s winner against Hull. “We are defending well at the moment, and keeping a clean sheet is obviously vital.

“If you are keeping a clean sheet, you have more chance of winning the game. At the moment, if we score, we always feel like we have a good chance. The way we are defending as a team, maybe we just need one goal to win the game. Defensively, we are doing well.

“You have to defend as a team. Just because you are playing in an attacking position, it does not mean that you do not have a defensive job to do. It is about 11 players defending as a team and 11 players attacking. When we are attacking, everybody still has to be ready to defend if the move breaks down. We are doing well – we have to keep going.”

  • Middlesbrough’s FA Cup third-round game with Sheffield Wednesday will take place at the Riverside on Sunday, January 8 (3pm).