Middlesbrough may well face a battle to retain the services of Rav van den Berg come the summer transfer window.
The defender only joined the club last summer, signing from PEC Zwolle in the Netherlands.
Since then, the 19-year-old has become a key player for Michael Carrick’s side. So far this season he has 34 appearances in all competitions for the club.
He was even given the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband for Middlesbrough recently.
Now it seems as though he is starting to attract attention from elsewhere already. Recent reports have claimed that Premier League sides such as Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham are interested in the teenager.
However, it seems there is a belief that ‘Boro must not be letting van den Berg go cheaply, if he is to leave this summer.
Middlesbrough sent asking price message
With van den Berg attracting such interest, discussions about how much ‘Boro should demand for the teenager are starting to emerge.
Journalist Phil Spencer is one who believes any valuation club owner Steve Gibson places on the defender, should be well into the eight-figure mark.
Speaking on his YouTube channel about how much Middlesbrough should be looking to make from a potential sale of van den Berg, he said:
“For Middlesbrough, they need to know that they’ve got a proper asset on their hands here. This isn’t going to be a situation in my opinion, where they should be holding out for £10 million, £12 million, or something like that.
“He’s a player who, for me, could be a Champions League player in the next two or three years and so it’s crucial that Middlesbrough value him as such.
“Make sure that if he does move on this summer, we are getting top dollar. For me I’d also be including a sell-on clause as well because I could see him getting a move to a top top club in the years to come, and Middlesbrough don’t want to be missing out on a sizeable amount of money for that.”
The defender signed a four-year contract at The Riverside Stadium last summer. That secure his future with the club until the end of the 2026/27 season.
As a result, Middlesbrough are in a strong position to respond to any offer that come in for van den Berg in the summer.
‘Boro must look for a big fee for van den Berg
It does seem as though Middlesbrough should only be letting the defender go for a rather large fee come the summer.
Given his contract situation, the club are under no pressure to sell him any time soon in order to avoid him going on the cheap.
As a result, they are in a position to demand a big fee for him. They should therefore do so, in order to show that they will not be pushed around in the market.
Obviously, van den Berg is a key player for the club, and so Middlesbrough also need to generate a fee that reflects his status to the club in that sense as well.
That in turn, would put them in a strong position to replace him, and potentially strengthen the rest of their squad too.
A sell-on clause would also make sense. At his age and with the progress he is making, it is likely there will be more money spent on him in the future as well.
Such a clause would therefore stand Middlesbrough in good stead to earn another useful financial windfall in the future, which could also be important.
With all that in mind, it feels important that ‘Boro do indeed drive a hard bargain with van den Berg, if they are to let him go this summer.