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Middlesbrough are in talks with free agent Danny Ings, talk SPORT understands. The 32-year-old is without a club after leaving West Ham at the end of last season. He could now be set to make a return to the Championship for the first time in 11 years. Ings has not played in the second tier since winning promotion with Burnley in the 2013/14 season. That campaign saw the forward score 21 goals in 40 league appearances for the Clarets. He has since starred in the Premier League for the Clarets as well as Southampton, West Ham, Aston Villa and Liverpool. Across those spells, Ings has scored 72 goals in 240 Premier League matches. However, the ex-England striker could now link up with a former opponent at the Riverside Stadium. Boro are managed by former Welsh international Rob Edwards, who replaced Michael Carrick earlier this summer. Edwards has penned a three-year deal with the club through until 2028. It is his first managerial role since being sacked by Luton back in January. As a player, Edwards faced Ings once during the 2011/12 Championship campaign whilst playing for Barnsley. On that day, Burnley ran out 2-0 winners at Turf Moor, with Ings coming off the bench for his Burnley debut. He played the final eight minutes of the match in his first appearance following a move from Bournemouth. More than a decade later, the pair could now be set to work together. Edwards has yet to add to his Boro squad since his appointment, with Ings emerging as a candidate to become his first signing. Ings had previously been linked with a move to fellow Championship side Wrexham ahead of their return to the division. The Red Dragons were understood to be eyeing both Ings and his former Southampton team-mate Stuart Armstrong. Phil Parkinson's side are set to embark on their first second tier campaign for 43 years following three successive promotions. Meanwhile, Armstrong is a free agent after leaving Sheffield Wednesday at the end of June. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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