Middlesbrough reject eight-figure fee for defender

Middlesbrough have reportedly rejected a £10 million transfer bid from Burnley for defender Dael Fry.

Teesider Live reports that Boro have told Burnley that the 22-year-old center-back is not for sale, following a bid of £10 million from the Premier League side.

The report further highlights that this is not the first time that Burnley have inquired about the services of Fry. Burnley made an initial £8 million bid in the summer transfer window with Boro rejecting the offer.

It is understood that Burnley manager Sean Dyche rates Fry highly and is keen to complete a deal in the January transfer window. Fry has been impressive this season for Boro, despite an injury crisis in defence.

He is also the only fit center-back at the club following injuries to George Friend, Anfernee Dijksteel, Daniel Ayala and Ryan Shotton. This makes it highly unlikely that Boro would want to lose him at this stage of the season, as they look to bring in reinforcements.

Jonathan Woodgate also rates the young defender highly and sees him as a future captain at Boro.

There have also been reports that the Clarets are willing to allow former defender Ben Gibson to rejoin Boro on loan to facilitate this deal.

However, this has been rebuffed with Boro working on an independent deal that does not involve the sale of Fry.