Karanka keen for players to leave Boro in January

Middlesbrough still have two Premier League games remaining before the calendar flips to 2017 but Aitor Karanka is already plotting his moves come the January transfer window.

Most head coaches will be looking to bolster their ranks but the Boro boss is keen to trim the fat from his squad.

A number of players are struggling to earn game-time at the Riverside this season, including the likes of David Nugent, Stewart Downing, Jordan Rhodes and Carlos de Pena.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

It is believed some of those men have already requested to leave Boro and Karanka will not be standing in the way of four or five players heading to pastures new.

“There will be a few players who leave next month,” said Karanka. “At the moment, we have 26 players in the squad, and I would like to finish January with 23 or 24, and with three keepers once again.

“The players who will leave will be the players who want to go because they are not playing here.

“I can understand that, but if they want to leave, we have to bring in the right replacement. All the parts have to fit into place.

“There are a few players who have come to me and said they would like to leave, but I am not going to reveal who they are. All I will say is that I have told players that they will be allowed to leave because I do not want to keep people here who are not happy.

“We are not in a hurry and we do not need to strengthen the squad as soon as possible because the squad was built in August.”