Boro signed Steffen from Manchester City on loan last summer and he played a big role in helping the club to reach the promotion playoffs.
Their campaign came to an end when they lost to Coventry City in the playoffs and Michael Carrick is already planning for next season.
Steffen is a player the Middlesbrough manager admires and his ability with his feet suits the club’s style of football.
It has been claimed that Boro are interested in signing the 28-year-old goalkeeper on a permanent deal.
He does not have a future at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola and the goalkeeper himself recently admitted that he will not be going back to the Etihad.
But any deal for Boro would not be straightforward as there are several stumbling blocks to overcome.
Manchester City want around £10m from his sale and coupled with his wages worth £60,000 per week makes Steffen beyond Boro’s financial reach.
A compromise could be reached but the goalkeeper is also attracting interest from clubs in Germany.
Boro remain keen on Steffen but they would have to find creative ways to engineer a deal to sign him this summer.
