Smith: No Decision Yet …
Sky: Alan Smith’s agent is refusing to shed any light on his immediate future, amid reports that Middlesbrough were close to striking a deal for his services.
The 26-year-old England international is being closely tracked by a number of clubs, with the likes of Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton, Portsmouth and Sunderland all linked.
However, Middlesbrough are believed to be furthest advanced in talks with United with reports of a near £6million deal almost finalised.
Despite talks with United going well, Smith himself is far from certain to agree to a switch to Teesside with a number of options likely to be available to him.
Smith’s agent Alex Black says a decision will not be made on his future until later this week when he returns from holiday.
“There is a lot of stuff going about at the moment,” Black told the Manchester Evening News.
“But nothing is going to be done until Alan comes back from his break.
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Sun: GARETH SOUTHGATE will fail to lure Alan Smith to Middlesbrough.
Riverside boss Southgate made a £6.5million bid for Manchester United’s unsettled hitman with the promise of regular first-team action.
But Smith, 26, wants European football and is set to snub Boro. Spurs are favourites with Sunderland, Everton and Portsmouth also keen.
Smith has battled back from injuries to regain his England squad place. But he has failed to persuade United boss Sir Alex Ferguson that he can be a lethal part of the Premiership champions’ strike battery.
