Tottenham sell striker Lankshear to Middlesbrough

Will Lankshear has laid out his ambition to get Middlesbrough "back where it belongs" after completing his move to the Championship side from Tottenham.

Lankshear, who spent last season on loan with Oxford United, has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Boro in a deal reportedly worth up to £20m.

He was of reported interest to several Championship clubs, but he has decided to join Kim Hellberg's side, who narrowly missed out on Premier League promotion last season.

The 21-year-old joined Spurs from Sheffield United in 2024 and made nine first-team appearances in all competitions in that time, scoring twice.

Lankshear netted his first goal for the club in a 3-2 defeat against Galatasaray in November 2024 but picked up a red card for two bookable offences, becoming the third-youngest player to both score and be sent off in a Europa League match.

He spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan in the Championship with West Brom before joining Oxford for a season-long stint last August.

During his time at the Kassam Stadium, Lankshear scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 47 appearances across all competitions, but it was not enough to help Oxford avoid relegation to League One.

"Middlesbrough is such a massive club over the years; I deem it to be a Premier League club," Lankshear told the club's website.

"The project here really excites me. I can't wait to get started and be part of the journey, and get this club back where it belongs."

Lankshear's comments come after Boro were beaten 1-0 by Hull City in last season's Championship play-off final, with Oliver McBurnie scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Boro have not been in the Premier League since 2016-17 under Aitor Karanka, and had lost to Southampton in the two-legged semi-finals.

However, Hellberg's side were reinstated after their opponents admitted to spying on other clubs' training sessions, including Boro. Southampton boss Tonda Eckert has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for his involvement in the incident.

Middlesbrough have money to spend this summer following the departure of Hayden Hackney, who joined Everton in a deal worth an initial £16.5m, though add-ons could take it to north of £20m.

They are also expected to receive a financial windfall from Morgan Rogers' £117m transfer to Chelsea from Aston Villa. It has been reported that Boro could bank up to £16m, which will come in £4m instalments over the next four years.

Lankshear is Boro's fourth signing this summer, following the arrivals of Kyle Joseph, Myles Peart-Harris and Jeremy Sarmiento.

Boro begin their Championship campaign on August 15 against Lincoln City.