Man Utd transfer news will spark concern for 25-year-old at Middlesbrough

Radek Vitek is being linked with a switch to Middlesbrough, which could see Sol Brynn's time as first-choice goalkeeper come to an end

Middlesbrough are still looking to make a splash in the transfer window this summer as they aim to go one better than their play-off final defeat in May against Hull City.

At times last season, Kim Hellberg's side were one of the most dominant, exciting sides in the Championship, despite their squad on paper, both in terms of quality and depth, perhaps not indicating as such.

Ultimately, Boro ran out of steam right at the end, winning just two of their final 10 games, seeing them fall from the automatic promotion places into the play-offs, and they would then fail to win any of their subsequent three postseason matches.

That was despite being on top in the majority of those games, but failing to take chances and conceding the few they gave up. When Kim Hellberg then turned to his bench, he didn't have the quality at his disposal to maintain the high intensity his playstyle warranted.

So, this summer the onus has been not only on adding depth but also on adding quality; if the Swedish boss has that, Middlesbrough could easily better last season's end result.

The focus so far in the window has been in forward areas. Myles Peart-Harris, Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear ensure that there is that quality in depth at the Riverside once more, but the backline isn't being neglected either.

Middlesbrough open talks for Radek Vitek - Sol Brynn may find himself further down the pecking order

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It's been reported that Middlesbrough have held initial conversations with Manchester United over the permanent sale of Radek Vitek, who excelled on loan at Bristol City last season.

The 22-year-old kept 12 clean sheets at Ashton Gate in what was his first Championship campaign out on loan from the Red Devils. Only Millwall's Max Crocombe made more saves per game, and he ranked in the top four for goals prevented.

Vitek returned to Manchester United this summer, understandably not first choice, as the jump from Championship shot-stopper to a Champions League-level one is incredibly high. However, the Czech keeper is keen on moving elsewhere to become a number one.

Middlesbrough were always expected to be in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer, following the end of Joe Wildsmith's loan and despite the return of Seny Dieng, who is not expected to play much of a part next season.

But there were questions surrounding whether Kim Hellberg would want a new first-choice keeper or a backup for Boro academy graduate Sol Brynn, who broke into the side last season and played all 49 league and play-off games.

The 25-year-old had only played nine senior games for Middlesbrough before last season, and kept 13 clean sheets in his debut campaign.

That being said, with Vitek openly wanting to be a first-choice goalkeeper wherever his next destination is, and with the potential to grow into a Premier League-level shot-stopper, Boro's interest in him indicates that Kim Hellberg does want to upgrade that position, which would threaten Brynn's place in the side.

Sol Brynn didn't have the greatest debut campaign — replacing him may be necessary for Middlesbrough to kick on

Only Carl Rushworth and Christian Walton kept more clean sheets last season than Brynn, and Coventry City were the only side who conceded fewer goals than Middlesbrough last year, too.

However, there's an argument that those stats were, for the most part, down to the strong backline ahead of Brynn, rather than the 25-year-old himself, and a better goalkeeper could have led to an even more impressive defensive record.

Brynn ranked 12th in save percentage last season in the Championship, and conceded 6.6 more than Boro's expected goals against throughout the entire campaign. Only three keepers recorded a worse goals prevented stat last year than the 25-year-old.

And, crucially, he was partly at fault for the late Oli McBurnie winner that saw Hull beat Middlesbrough in the play-off final at Wembley, palming a Yu Hirakawa cross into the Scotsman's path to tap home.

It was seen last year how integral Rushworth was to Coventry's success. The year before, James Trafford was a big part of the record defensive numbers that Burnley put up en route to a 100-point campaign.

So, a top-class goalkeeper can be the difference between finishing in the top two or not, and while Brynn was solid in parts last year, a more consistent shot-stopper, like Vitek, could help Middlesbrough push on and finish in the automatic promotion places.