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Cardiff City have rejected an opening bid from Championship rivals Middlesbrough for Ciaron Brown, TEAMtalk understands.

Brown has one-year left on his current deal, although the Bluebirds also have an option on the Northern Ireland international. Mick McCarthy used Brown in the run-in to the end of the season and is an admirer of the defender.

The 23-year-old has spent the last couple of seasons on-loan in the Scottish top-flight with Livingston.

However, Boro are now trying to land him and it will be the second time for Neil Warnock, who took him to Cardiff in 2018 after spotting him playing for non-league Wealdstone.

Boro have now seen their opening bid rejected by Cardiff, and we understand there is interest from other Championship sides in the left-sided defender.

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Meanwhile, we can also reveal that Ipswich appear to have pulled off an impressive coup after winning the race for a Middlesbrough star.

Town are understood to be on the verge of signing Middlesbrough left-back Hayden Coulson. The 23-year-old is a graduate of Boro’s famed youth academy and made his league debut for the club in 2019.

Coulson was handed a new deal late in 2019, but he is not in the long-term plans of Neil Warnock, who is looking to move him on.

Instead, Warnock has his own grand ideas of how Middlesbrough can make a splash in the summer window.

In another exclusive, we recently revealed the veteran firebrand is in talks over a remarkable triple reunion of players he has formerly managed at Cardiff.

A host of clubs have shown an interest in in Coulson, who can play anywhere down the left.

But it is believed Ipswich are in pole position to secure his signature.

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