Lengthy lay-off threatens Boro winger's move to Liverpool
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Liverpool lead the race for Downing as Middlesbrough fire sale looms
Flying the nest? Downing
Stewart Downing, Tuncay, Afonso Alves and Robert Huth will lead the exodus from Middlesbrough if the club are relegated at West Ham on Sunday.
Liverpool are favourites to sign Downing, valued at around £10million, although Tottenham and Aston Villa will also join the fight.
Turkey captain Tuncay has attracted interest from Chelsea but former club Fenerbahce want him, too.
Brazil striker Alves will spend the summer recovering from a broken metatarsal but that is unlikely to put off Benfica, while Stoke are keen on Huth and had a £5m offer for the defender rejected in January.
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Downing and out! Lengthy lay-off threatens Boro winger's move to Liverpool
Agony: Downing lasted just 23 minutes before he was carried off on Saturday
Liverpool's hopes of landing Stewart Downing could be scuppered as the Middlesbrough winger faces up to six months out injured.
The England international is set to undergo surgery on his foot on Friday and he has been warned he could be out until Christmas, putting his £10million summer move to Anfield in serious doubt.
The 24-year-old will have a second scan after the first one revealed that Downing fractured his foot when he was caught by Stiliyan Petrov in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa and he will miss Boro's final day relegation scrap at West Ham.
'We will not be able to assess the full extent of Stewart's injury until his bruising and swelling go down,' said Boro's head of medical Grant Downie.
'We are still waiting for further tests and investigations to find out the best way to manage the problem. Stewart has already seen a leading orthopaedic expert in London and is in the best possible hands.'
The 24-year-old's operation is pencilled in for the end of the week, but he could be out until Christmas if the surgery and forthcoming rehabilitation prove complicated. Even a routine break will require at least three months recovery time.
Downing is now out of England's World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan and Andorra next month, but more importantly for Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate, he misses Sunday's trip to Upton Park where Boro need a minor miracle to survive the drop.
The weekend clash was expected to be his last game for his hometown club and Southgate, who persuaded Downing to turn down a move to Tottenham in January.
Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa and Spurs have been all monitoring Downing's form since the turn of the year, but any exit from the Riverside will be put on hold if he faces a lengthy lay-off.
Bone crucher: Boro's Stewart Downing (right) clashes with Villa midfielder Stilian Petrov
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byebye boro...
byebye newcastle.
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Bye Bye West Brom...
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Liverpool should sign Robben or VDV.
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If Boro out
Liverpool sign Downing also kan bui....... 6 months leh
Liverpool should sign David Villa -
Looks like he is destined to stay with Boro afterall... lol
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lol, probably gonna be another season at Boro.
He's confirmed at least 2-3 months out.