Sheffield United set to lose out on striker as huge £12m move beckons

Middlesbrough forward Chuba Akpom looks set to make a move to Ajax with the Dutch giants reportedly beating Sheffield United and French outfit Lens to the striker’s signature.

Akpom had emerged as a potential target for the Blades as they looked to add firepower to the squad following the departure of Iliman Ndiaye to Marseille and the 27-year-old looked set to leave the Riverside, with just one year remaining on his Boro contract.

Unsurprisingly, there were no shortage of clubs keeping an eye on developments wth Akpom having finished last season as the Championship’s top goalscorer, but according to various reports he appears to be swapping Middlesbrough for Amsterdam.

Ajax are having something of a rebuild this season after missing out on Champions League football last time around, finishing third in the Eredivisie and a reported £12m fee has been agreed to take Akpom from the North East.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United will continue their push for more quality in the squad following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on the opening day of the Premier League season at Bramall Lane.

A striker remains on Paul Heckingbottom’s wishlist, with Aston Villa’s Cameron Archer a reported target.

The England under-21 international looks set to be on the way out at Villa Park, with the club open to letting the highly-rated forward leave. Weekedn reports suggest that Villa would be looking for a buy-back clause to be inserted into the terms of any sale.