Middlesbrough want Tottenham Hotspur to revise their deal for defender Ashley Phillips after concerns were raised in his medical.
Boro had agreed to pay £7million, rising to £20million, for the 21-year-old centre-back, but the deal stalled over the weekend. Talks between the two clubs are ongoing.
Phillips was at Middlesbrough's Rockliffe Park training ground last week to complete the move. Issues were then raised and the transfer was put on hold while both sides try to find a solution. Middlesbrough may now explore an initial loan instead.
Career so far
Phillips came through the academy at Blackburn Rovers, playing 14 times for the club before joining Tottenham for £2million in 2023 at age 18. He has yet to make a senior appearance for Spurs despite entering his fourth season with the club.
He spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Plymouth Argyle, followed by two years on loan at Stoke City.
Boro's busy summer
A move for Phillips would extend a busy transfer window for Kim Hellberg's Middlesbrough side. After receiving a significant sell-on fee from Morgan Rogers' £116million move from Aston Villa to Chelsea, Boro have signed Jeremy Sarmiento, Will Lankshear, Radek Vitek, Sebastian Berhalter and Kyle Joseph. They beat Wrexham 1-0 in their Carabao Cup first-round opener on Friday night.
