MIDDLESBROUGH may well look in a very healthy position by the end of this month with expected incomings and outgoings by the end of January.

The additions of Aaron Connolly and Caolan Boyd-Munce will quickly be followed up by the arrival of Folarin Balogun after the striker was at Boro's training ground for a medical. 

But there are a number of players whose current contracts are due to end at the end of the next season. The contract extension of Josh Coburn may well have set off a chain of events where Boro will be looking to tie down players beyond their current deals.

Jonny Howson, Sol Bamba and Lee Peltier all have deals that will expire in the summer but all three are in the twilight years of their career.

Here are the current members of the Boro squad who have 18 months left on their current deals:

The Northern Echo:

Joe Lumley

After a recent spell out of the starting eleven, the 26-year-old currently has hold of the number one jersey at Middlesbrough and has recently kept three consecutive clean sheets.

There has been times where he has struggled this season but Chris Wilder has been happy with the way Lumley has conducted his business in recent games.

The shot stopper signed a two-year deal in the summer from fellow Championship side Queens Park Rangers. While his current deal will expire in the summer of 2023, the club do have an option for another year if they choose to take up an extension.

The Northern Echo: Luke Daniels in goal for MiddlesbroughLuke Daniels in goal for Middlesbrough

Luke Daniels

The 34-year-old signed as a free agent earlier this year following his release from Premier League side Brentford and put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal.

He has since gone on to make six appearances for Boro this season and kept Lumley out of the side for a number of weeks.

While he has played the role of back-up this season, Daniels is keen to earn a spot in the Boro team. That will go a long way to earning an extension next summer.

The Northern Echo:

Dael Fry

Fry is an integral part of the Boro side and the club will be pushing to extend his current deal beyond 2023.

In a year’s time, Fry will be free to hold talks with other clubs where he will be able to sign pre-contract agreements elsewhere.

If Boro were to eventually lose Fry to higher league opposition, it mutually benefits them to do so for a fee. Clubs may well be alerted to his situation in the summer and Boro should make extending his deal a priority given he was the subject of an eight figure fee from Burnley not so long ago.

The Northern Echo:

Grant Hall

The 30-year-old centre-half is into his second season at the club after signing from Queens Park Rangers last summer.

However, Hall has struggled with injury over the course of his 18 months at the club and made 28 appearances in total with just eight games to his name this season.

Chris Wilder seems to have a settled back three in Fry, Paddy McNair and Anfernee Dijksteel. Since coming back from injury, Hall has had to settle for a place on the bench. Wilder has also preferred to bring on Bamba or Peltier during the game and he’s yet to play a minute under the new boss.

Depending on Boro’s business in January, it’s looking unlikely that Hall’s deal will be extended beyond 2023.

The Northern Echo:

Darnell Fisher

It’s been a frustrating year for the 27-year-old right-back since signing from Preston North End for an undisclosed fee.

Having got off to a great start to his Boro spell, Fisher’s season was cut short in April after 12 appearances.

With Fisher due to report back for pre-season training, the full back suffered a freak knee injury that is currently keeping him out for the entirety of this season.

By the time he returns, Fisher will have one year left on his current deal. It may well be a big year for him if he is to earn himself a free new contract at the club.

The Northern Echo: Marcus Tavernier

Marcus Tavernier

Extending Tavernier’s deal falls under a similar level of importance as extending Dael Fry’s deal.

To avoid the possibility of letting Tavernier go without a fee, the club may well look into extending his contract before clubs are alerted to his situation.

The 22-year-old is into the second year of his three-and-a-half year extension and has made 123 appearances in all competitions for the first-team.

Tavernier’s progress from the academy to the first-team has consistently garnered speculation and clubs would be happy to take the player on the possibility of a free transfer.

However, he is an important player in Chris Wilder’s current system and the new manager will be desperate to tie him down to a new contract in the coming months.

The Northern Echo:

Marcus Browne

The 24-year-old became Jonathan Woodgate’s first outfield signing in the summer of 2019. An injury ravaged two-and-a-half years along with a brief long spell at Oxford United has seen the attacking midfielder make just 22 appearances.

Browne has been incredibly unfortunate with a spate of different injuries at the club. Just when it seems he is hitting his stride in the team, he gets hit with a lengthy spell out of the team.

This weekend’s FA Cup game will mark the best part of a year out of the team and by Chris Wilder’s admission, Browne is nearing a return to the first-team.

However, with eighteen months left on his current contract, Browne may well be tempted to by a loan spell away from the club to prove his worth and find much needed game time to work his way back to full fitness.

The Northern Echo:

Toyosi Olusanya

The 23-year-old signed in the summer from National League South side Billeracy Town with high hopes and the potential of making the most of a dream move up north.

However, the former AFC Wimbledon winger has made just three appearances for the first-team and is currently out of action for a few months through injury.

January may well have represented a great move for the winger to find game time elsewhere in the lower leagues but it now appears unlikely he will get a move elsewhere due to his injury situation.

The chances of him breaking into the first-team also look unlikely. However, that may well represent his best chance of earning himself an extension.

The Northern Echo: Duncan Watmore leads the celebration after his stoppage-time strike secured Middlesbrough a dramatic 2-1 win at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road last night

Duncan Watmore

The former Sunderland winger signed on an initial short-term deal with the view to hopefully earning himself an extension.

He did just that with a flurry of impressive performances signing a two-and-a-half year deal last year. Watmore went on to finish as the club’s top scorer last season with nine goals and has been a really useful and cheap addition to the side.

He’s been used more as a striker in Chris Wilder’s side and recently provided a special moment at Bloomfield Road scoring in the stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win over Blackpool.

Watmore will be 29 by the time his contract will come to an end at the club. The club’s business in the January transfer window and the summer may well go a long way to deciding his future on Teesside.