Middlesbrough and Preston North End in transfer battle to sign 'aggressive' striker | OneFootball

Middlesbrough and Preston North End are reportedly keeping tabs on Jalal Abdullai

Middlesbrough and Preston North End are both among the clubs eyeing a deal for Elfsborg forward Jalal Abdullai.

According to Swedish outlet Expressen, the two Championship sides are considering an approach for the striker as the January transfer window approaches.

The 20-year-old, who will turn 21 in the new year, spent the season on loan with Norwegian side Molde, where he scored four goals from 20 appearances.

But with the Eliteserien campaign concluded, he will now be set for a return to Elfsborg, where a decision will likely need to be made over his future.

The forward who has described himself as aggressive, fast, and strong, has previously made 34 appearances in the Allsvenskan, scoring seven times, helping his club finish second and seventh in the table across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Middlesbrough and Preston eye Jalal Abdullai

Middlesbrough and Preston are reportedly both interested in a move to sign Abdullai in the upcoming January transfer window.

The forward is also believed to be attracting the attention of a number of other European clubs, such as Copenhagen.

Anderlecht, Genk and Midtjylland have also been linked, and it’s been claimed that Molde have an option to buy clause as part of his loan deal.

It remains to be seen what kind of figure it will take to sign Abdullai in January, or if he would be interested in a move to English football at this stage of his career.

The Ghanaian has earned a reputation as a promising young talent that could bolster Kim Hellberg or Paul Heckingbottom’s first team squads.

This will be Hellberg’s first opportunity to make changes to the Middlesbrough first team squad, having only been appointed as manager in November in place of Rob Edwards.

Boro and Preston are currently competing for promotion to the Premier League, with the former second in the table and the latter just seven points behind in fourth.

Jalal Abdullai signing could bolster a Premier League promotion push

Abduallai has performed well in Norway and Sweden, and has shown he can find the back of the net from a young age.

He will turn 21 in January, and could now be ready to make the step to English football and play a role for either Preston or Middlesbrough.

Depending on the potential fee, this could prove an interesting piece of business to try and bolster either clubs’ promotion bid, even if he may not be signed with the prospect of him immediately being a regular starter.

If the cost of completing the move can be kept relatively low, then this has the potential to be a strong, risk-free approach to adding some attacking depth for the second half of the campaign and providing competition for game time.