NEIL WARNOCK has held talks with Yannick Bolasie about his future beyond the end of the season, and believes there is a realistic chance of the forward signing for Middlesbrough on a permanent basis.
Bolasie is due to become a free agent this summer, with his contract at Everton set to expire in June and the Toffees having already ruled out the offer of a new deal.
The 31-year old has performed creditably since joining Middlesbrough on loan at the end of January, and Warnock would be interested in retaining his services for next season. However, the Boro boss freely admits he will be unable to offer anything close to the wages Bolasie is currently earning on Merseyside.
While it is unlikely Bolasie will be offered a Premier League deal, he is already the subject of strong interest from a number of clubs on the continent who will be able to outbid Boro. If the DR Congo decides to head abroad, that will be that. If, however, he opts to remain in England and play in the Championship, Warnock feels Boro will have a fighting chance of keeping him on Teesside.
“It’ll depend on what offers Yannick gets, I suppose,” said the Boro boss. “I’ve spoken to him about the situation. I don’t think he’ll get a Premier League club if I’m honest, so it’ll probably come down to whether he wants to play in the Championship or whether he’d rather go abroad because I think that’s where the money is. He’s got enough money anyway, hasn’t he? You just don’t know.
“Yannick’s not hard work. He can be a little bit moody at times, but that’s how a lot of players are. If he decides to stay in this country, you wouldn’t write off him staying at Middlesbrough. Although that’s if I want him and can put up with his moaning!”
The situation with Neeskens Kebano is different as the Fulham loanee has a clause in his deal at Craven Cottage that means he is effectively still contracted for another year.
If, as looks increasingly, Fulham are relegated from the Premier League, they could opt to restore him to their Championship squad. Alternatively, they could look to sell the 29-year-old to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing in another 12 months’ time. Either way, there is little or no chance of him being back at Boro at the start of next season.
“Neeskens has got another year, so I don’t think there’s much chance of anything happening there unless they want to loan him out again,” said Warnock. “I would imagine they’ll be looking at Neeskens and thinking, ‘Well, he’s got a year left, we might as well try and sell him if we’re not going to be using him rather than let his contract run out’.”
As he plans his summer transfer business, Warnock is continuing to work on the assumption that all of his out-of-contract or loan players will be departing. “You’ve got to do that and have back-up plans,” he said.
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