Middlesbrough and Rangers face Hull City transfer threat for £0 ace | OneFootball

Dan Neil has been linked with a potential move across the North East

Middlesbrough will hope that experiencing a promotion race under Kim Hellberg will serve as great motivation heading into the new campaign, which will also come after their maiden pre-season under the Swedish head coach.

The Reds were firmly among the Championship front-runners for the majority of 2025/26, firstly under Rob Edwards and then Hellberg, who was drafted in as the 43-year-old's replacement in November following his controversial exit to newly-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After Hellberg earned plenty of plaudits for a strong run of form at the turn of 2026, which even had the North East side sitting top of the division ahead of Coventry City for a short while, Boro's form tailed off drastically, leading them to miss out on two counts of promotion to the Premier League.

Coupled with a well-documented injury to Hayden Hackney, Middlesbrough would still continue to dominate games in terms of the shot count and possession, but failed to make their pressure count, resulting in a fifth-place finish, four points short of Ipswich Town, who sealed automatic promotion.

Then, after the high-profile drama of 'spygate' in the play-off semi-finals, Boro fans would suffer further Wembley heartache as they lost 1-0 to Hull City in the final on May 23rd, courtesy of Oli McBurnie's clinical reaction to Sol Brynn's costly error in the 95th minute.

As such, it is back to the drawing board for all associated with the club, while Steve Gibson will hope to continue providing ample backing to Hellberg in order to, this time, achieve promotion after what will be 10 years outside the Premier League.

However, as if the sheer mention of Hull wouldn't be enough to send shivers down Boro spines, the Tigers are reportedly looking to cause them further havoc in the transfer market.

Hull City plot £0 Dan Neil move amid Middlesbrough FC transfer interest

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According to a fresh report from TEAMtalk, the East Yorkshire club, who will now have the power to spend in the Premier League after achieving promotion against the backdrop of a two-window transfer fee restriction under Sergej Jakirovic, are weighing up the potential signing of Dan Neil on a free transfer.

The 24-year-old is best known for his lengthy spell with Sunderland, having played a key role in the Black Cats' rise from League One to the Premier League within a three-season period.

During the club's play-off winning success under Regis Le Bris, Neil was named Sunderland's 'team' captain, but wasn't afforded regular minutes in the Premier League this term due to a record-breaking shake-up of the squad at the Stadium of Light.

After 13 league minutes between August and January, the Wearside outfit announced he would depart in June upon the expiration of his contract, which followed a recent 16-game stint with Ipswich, earning promotion in successive seasons as a result.

Alongside Hull's interest, Rangers are also believed to be plotting a move for the former England youth international on a free, whilst those at the Riverside have held internal discussions as to whether Neil could fill the void of Hackney, who is attracting strong interest from the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace.

Middlesbrough would have further Hull City jealousy if Dan Neil moved to the MKM Stadium

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Of course, with the play-off final fresh in the minds of those on Teesside, a move to the MKM Stadium for Neil over a short move in the North East would add further jealousy.

Indeed, Football League World exclusively revealed in January that one of Hull's promotion-winning heroes, Charlie Hughes, was on Boro's radar, before a move failed to materialise.

TEAMtalk's aforementioned report also claims that the chance of remaining in the top-flight after a brief glimpse with Sunderland could have huge implications on this particular transfer race, even though Rangers also have the lure of European football under Danny Rohl.

Meanwhile, one of the earliest potential midfield additions to be linked with a move to Middlesbrough is Rangers prospect, Calum Adamson, although the chances of an 18-year-old immediately replacing Hackney in Hellberg's XI seem unrealistic at this stage.