And the Teessiders are also confident of completing a loan deal for Newcastle United full-back Matt Targett in the next couple of days.
Boro officials are understood to have agreed the framework of a potential deal for Sene with their counterparts at Lausanne, and are hopeful that further discussions will result in a final agreement being reached.
That would enable the 24-year-old to travel to England to undergo a medical and complete the final stages of a proposed move to Teesside.
Born in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Sene played his youth football in Italy and spent time in Juventus’ academy ranks, representing the Serie A club in the UEFA Youth League.
He moved to Switzerland to join Basel in the summer of 2020 and had loan spells at Omonia Nicosia and Grasshoppers before joining Lausanne in 2023.
He has scored 16 goals in 68 appearances with Lausanne, and has started the current season in blistering fashion, scoring in all three of his side’s league matches.
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He has also scored three goals in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Conference League, with his efforts helping Lausanne reach the play-off stage.
He was part of the Lausanne side that drew 1-1 with Besiktas on Thursday night, but Boro are hoping to tie up a deal before the return game in Istanbul next week.
If his signing goes through, Sene will strengthen a Boro attacking unit that is currently heavily reliant on first-choice forward Tommy Conway. With Josh Coburn having joined Millwall at the start of the summer, Delano Burgzorg and Marcus Forss are currently the only attacking alternatives to Conway.
Rob Edwards confirmed Boro were looking to strengthen in a “couple of areas” during his pre-match press conference ahead of today’s game with Norwich City, and as well as closing in on Sene, the Teessiders are also putting the finishing touches to a loan deal for Targett.
The Newcastle left-back is set to sign on a season-long loan and should be confirmed as a Boro player in the next couple of days.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has sanctioned his departure, with Targett having struggled to secure regular game time on Tyneside since joining the Magpies on a permanent basis in a £15m move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022.
The 29-year-old boasts a wealth of experience, having made more than 200 senior appearances in a career that has also seen him play for Southampton and Fulham.
