ITALIAN side Sassuolo have become the latest club to express an interest in unsettled Middlesbrough forward Martin Braithwaite.

Braithwaite’s future is one of the key issues Boro head coach Jonathan Woodgate will be addressing in his first few weeks in charge of the club, with the Denmark international having previously expressed a desire to leave Teesside on a permanent basis this summer.

The 28-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Spanish side Leganes, having fallen out of favour under Woodgate’s predecessor, Tony Pulis.

When he was formally unveiled on Friday, Woodgate insisted that everyone would start the new regime with a clean slate and confirmed Braithwaite would be expected to report back for pre-season training next month.

However, the new Boro boss will have to weigh up the benefits of keeping Braithwaite in the squad against the potential disruption he could cause given his obvious preference for a move overseas.

Selling Braithwaite would swell Woodgate’s transfer kitty, with the forward having cost around £9m when he moved from Toulouse in 2017, and would also have a significant impact on the current wage bill.

With Stewart Downing having been released as a free agent – the Teessider is expected to join Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn Rovers in the next few days – Braithwaite is understood to be the highest-paid player on Boro’s books.

Leganes and Girona have already signalled their interest in signing the Dane this summer, and Sassuolo have also now joined the race for his services. The Italian side are keen to build on their mid-table finish in Serie A last season, and are known to have significant sums to spend.

Meanwhile, Charlton Athletic will offer Anfernee Dijksteel a new contract to fend off reported interest in the full-back from Middlesbrough.

With Paddy McNair expected to feature as a midfielder next season Ryan Shotton is the only out-and-out right-back currently on Boro’s books, and Dijksteel has been mentioned as a potential target.

The 22-year-old Dutchman joined Charlton from the Nike Academy in 2016, and made 30 league appearances last season as the Addicks won promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs.

He is about to enter the final year of his current contract at the Valley, but Charlton do not want to lose him and are set to meet his representatives to discuss a new deal in the next seven days.

With the uncertainty over Lee Bowyer’s position as manager having been cleared up this week, Charlton officials are keen to move quickly to prevent Dijksteel’s head being turned.

Middlesbrough will start the new Championship season with a televised trip to Kenilworth Road to take on newly-promoted Luton Town on Friday, August 2.