Bamford, who signed for Chelsea in 2012 from Nottingham Forest, returns to the Riverside Stadium, where he previously enjoyed a successful loan spell in 2014/15. The striker ended that season as Boro’s top scorer with 19 goals and picked up the Championship Player of the Year award.

While at Chelsea, Bamford graduated through the England youth ranks, becoming an Under-21 international. An accomplished finisher for our reserve team, Bamford scored regularly during loan spells in both League One and the Championship before going on to experience Premier League football.

We thank Patrick for his service and wish him well in his future career.