Everton interested in £20m-rated Championship defender

Everton are one of three Premier League clubs interested in signing Middlesbrough captain Ben Gibson at the end of the season, reports Sky Sports.

Gibson was heavily linked with a move away from his boyhood club at the end of last season but Boro managed to fend off interest from interested suitors.

Interest in the £20m-rated centre-back has cooled since then but Middlesbrough are bracing themselves for another summer of more approaches for their key man.

Everton will look to overhaul their defensive options in the summer given the ages of Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams, but will face competition for Gibson’s signature.

West Ham and Leicester are also weighing up a move for Gibson and Middlesbrough may not succeed in keeping him this time around, particularly if they fail to win promotion to the Premier League.

Tony Pulis’ side start the weekend in the play-offs and require four points from their last two league matches to guarantee a spot in the top six.

Gibson didn’t miss a single minute of league action for Middlesbrough in the Premier League last season and has only missed one Championship game for Boro this time around.

In fact, only eight outfielders have featured in more Championship minutes than the 25-year-old this term.