Middlesbrough are gearing up for another season in the Championship after missing out on promotion.

Despite losing manager Rob Edwards to Wolves in November, Middlesbrough spent much of last season in automatic promotion contention, but a run of only four wins in their final 15 games saw them fall out of the top two, with Kim Hellberg’s side eventually finishing fifth.

Borough lost 2-1 on aggregate to Southampton in their play-off semi-final, but they were given a promotion lifeline when the Saints were expelled from the final after admitting to observing their opponents’ training session ahead of the first leg, as well as spying on two other teams earlier in the season.

Borough, on the other hand, were unable to capitalise on their second chance, losing 1-0 to Hull City at Wembley Stadium last month, with Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time goal for the Tigers condemning the Teesside club to a tenth consecutive season in the Championship.

Much of the transfer speculation surrounding Borough since their play-off final defeat has focused on the future of star midfielder Hayden Hackney, but it appears they may now be on the verge of making their first new acquisition of the summer.

Middlesbrough likely to overcome Millwall in Kyle Joseph, Hull City deal.

Rumours of Middlesbrough’s interest in Hull striker Kyle Joseph surfaced on Sunday morning, with journalist Alan Nixon claiming that a deal to bring him to the Riverside Stadium was “on”.

Joseph joined the Tigers from League One side Blackpool in January 2025 for £2.5 million, and he scored eight goals and gave five assists in 49 games last season, helping Sergej Jakirovic’s team finish sixth in the Championship.

The 24-year-old missed Hull’s play-off final victory over Borough due to an ankle injury sustained in the semi-final second leg win at Millwall, and it appears that he will not be making the step up to the Premier League with his current club, as speculation about his possible departure from the MKM Stadium grows.

It was claimed earlier this month that Millwall had launched a £5 million proposal for Joseph, and given that his father is a passionate Lions supporter, a move to The Den could have appealed to the striker.

However, Joseph appears to be on his way to another of the Tigers’ play-off opponents, with the Hull Daily Mail stating that Borough are close to agreeing a cost of around £5 million.

With Hull needing to sell players before Tuesday (June 30) to avoid a potential points deduction from the Premier League for FFP violations, Borough are expected to conclude a deal for Joseph within the next 48 hours.

Kyle Joseph’s Hull City raid may not resolve Kim Hellberg’s major Middlesbrough issue.

Given that Middlesbrough’s failure to achieve promotion last season was largely down to wastefulness in front of goal, it’s simple to see why they want to reinforce their forward line, although there are doubts about Joseph’s ability.

Joseph is a hardworking striker who helped Hull win promotion, but he only scored eight goals for the Tigers last season, the same number as David Strelec and five fewer than Tommy Conway.

With the number of opportunities that Hellberg’s side creates, Joseph might greatly increase his tally at the Riverside Stadium next season, but it is tough to envisage him as the clinical finisher that Borough urgently require.