Middlesbrough have reportedly made an offer for Arsenal full-back Justin Hoyte, with Boro boss Gareth Southgate eager to fill the void left by Luke Young’s departure for Aston Villa.

Now that Young is set for a £5million switch to Villa Park, Southgate is turning his attention to 23-year-old Hoyte to fill the gap left by the England International. With it believed that the North East club have made an offer in the region of £3.5million to prise the former England Under-21 International away from the Emirates Stadium.

Hoyte has not been able to command a regular starting place at the Gunners in the five years he has been there, with manager Arsene Wenger believed to be willing to let him leave for the Riverside Stadium for the right offer.

Southgate however, chose to remain silent on the subject, with the former England International revealing that there were alternatives on offer.

Southgate said: “I am not talking about players who belong to other clubs.

“What is clear is there are a lot of right backs currently available.

“We have had a lot of calls as a result of Luke moving on.

“We have a good idea of what we would like and we are confident we can do some business before the start of the season.”