Leicester and Everton Join Man Utd & Chelsea in Monitoring Young Middlesbrough Defender Dael Fry

Manchester United and Chelsea are amongst a number of Premier League clubs monitoring the development of the young Middlesbrough defender Dael Fry, according to the Daily Mail.

Everton and Leicester City are two other clubs who have reportedly registered an interest in the central defender who has enjoyed a breakthrough year this season at the heart of the Middlesbrough defence alongside fellow academy graduate Ben Gibson.

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Fry has seized his chance following Middlesbrough's relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2016/17 Premier League season, making nine appearances in this Championship season under new manager Gary Monk, stamping his mark on the North-East side. 

Signing a new long-term contract in 2016, Fry is set to stay at the Riverside Stadium until 2021. Monk will view the 20-year-old as a player for both the present and future, becoming a stalwart in the centre of his defence. 

His performances this season have earned him a call-up to the England U21 squad, making his debut in the side's 1-1 draw with Holland in early September and subsequently named in the most recent U21 squad to face Scotland and Andorra in the coming days.

Fry has experience being part of successful international squads, representing England's U17 side that claimed victory at the UEFA European Under 17 Championships in 2014, with success following three years later as he was part of the U20 side that won the FIFA U20 World Cup this summer in South Korea. 

Boro will do everything possible to keep the youngster, but the lure of Premier League may force him to switch clubs in the near future.