Middlesbrough have secured the permanent signing of George Edmundson after his successful loan spell.

Boro were keen to secure Edmundson's long-term future and bring him back to the Riverside after Ipswich Town recalled him from his loan on Tuesday. The two clubs had been in talks already over making the move a permanent one, but with no agreement at that stage, the Tractor Boys made use of their recall clause before the deadline expired.

But talks continued this week and Edmundson was able to secure his Riverside return after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £500k with potential performance-related bonuses. The 27-year-old has signed a two-and-half-year deal which runs to June 2027.

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Boro didn't have to make Edmundson a permanent signing this month. He was due to be on loan for the rest of the season, at which point he was going to be out of contract at Portman Road. Even after Ipswich's recall, having played for both sides this season, they were unable to send him anywhere else this month and would have been forced to keep him had Boro not agreed a fee.

But keen to secure his return, Michael Carrick had explained before the loan recall: "George has done really well. We brought him in on loan. It was one of those where it fitted all parties. I've said it a number of times, it's not always simple, there's a lot of parties involved. Sometimes you go in and you know exactly what you're getting out, sometimes it's a little bit in the balance.

“George has done fantastically well for us. He's settled in really well. We're really happy with him. I think it's getting the balance right as well, in terms of recruitment and the dynamics of the squad. That's really important.

“Spread of age is one thing, types of experience is something else as well. It's a different thing. It's not always an age thing, it depends what you've gone through and the types of experiences you'd had. We're conscious of that to try and get the balance right moving forward.”

With Edmundson having won promotion from the Championship previously and stepped up in his time at Boro as a leader around the club as well as a consistent performer on it, Carrick was keen for Boro to secure his long-term future before the summer when other clubs may have entered the race.

On top of that, making his loan move permanent frees up an extra loan spot in the squad for what could be a busy end to the month. Championship rules only permit five loan players in any match-day squad and, having signed Ryan Giles, Boro now have two along with Ben Doak. Keen to sign a goalkeeper and a midfielder before the window closes, and potentially needing a striker if Emmanuel Latte Lath leaves, freeing up a loan spot made sense.

Edmundson made 21 appearances for Boro before his loan came to an end earlier this week. A largely consistent performer, he arrived in the summer on deadline day to cover injuries in the team at that time but established himself as an important player with impressive early performances.