Southampton tabled a formal offer for Azaz earlier this week, but it did not meet Boro’s valuation of the 24-year-old.
Having signed Azaz from Aston Villa for £2.5m in January 2024, the Boro hierarchy are understood to want at least £12m before they will consider allowing a sale to take place.
There are suggestions that Azaz has indicated a desire to move to St Mary’ Stadium, and Southampton are reportedly preparing an improved offer, which could be tabled before the weekend.
However, Rob Edwards has been delighted with Azaz’s attitude and effort in training this week, and as things stand, the Boro boss intends to name the midfielder in his squad at Carrow Road on Saturday. Azaz was a second-half substitute as Boro won at Millwall last weekend.
“We’ve had a bid from a club for Finn, and we’ve turned that down,” said Edwards. “We’ve rejected that bid.
“We’re really happy with the contribution that Finn made at the weekend – he was excellent when he came on. He’s trained well again this week and he’s available for selection again at Norwich.
“He’s been great, fully concentrated on the task at hand. He’s available for selection again this weekend, and that’s as far as I’m willing to go on it at the moment.”
Middlesbrough have had a busy time in terms of incomings this week, with Sverre Nypan having joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City and Adilson Malanda having agreed an $8.5m move from Charlotte FC that will see him return to the US on loan until January.
Azaz and Hayden Hackney have both been the subject of rejected offers this summer, but while Edwards accepts he cannot issue a cast-iron guarantee over either player, he is keen to stress there is no financial necessity to sell someone to pay for the players that have already arrived or the minimum of two further signings Boro are hoping to make before the transfer window closes.
“Let’s be real for a second,” he said. “We’re a club in the Championship at the moment, so if a deal is proposed that’s right for all parties, then who knows.
“I can’t sit here and lie to people by saying categorically this is happening or this isn’t happening, We’ll have to see. But it’s certainly not the case that people have to go because of the people that are coming in. That’s absolutely not the position.”
