Boro face competition from Italy in the race to sign Spanish full-back Juanfran, according to reports.
The Real Betis star is believed to be mulling over a move to Middlesbrough after agreeing terms and assured boss Aitor Karanka he will give him an answer before the Boro squad return on Monday.
But a potential stumbling block may stand in the way of a move after an unnamed Italian club reportedly declared an interest in the 25-year-old.
Karanka knows Juanfran from his time at Real Madrid when the Spaniard was impressing in the B side and Boro are hopeful the link will convince the full-back, who can also play on the wing, to make the move to England.
The Boro boss believes Juanfran has the physical and mental attributes to prove a success in the Championship and the Gazette understands a package worth close to €2m was agreed between the two clubs.
Real Betis were relegated from La Liga last season and now find themselves in a position where they must cut costs.
The versatile player made 34 league appearances throughout the campaign as well as playing 11 times in the Europa League as Betis made it to the last 16 before crashing out to arch rivals Sevilla.
He played 138 games for Real Madrid's B team earlier in his career and made one appearance for the senior side, making quite the impact as he came off the bench to set up Cristiano Ronaldo for a late winner.
More on Juanfran:
Five facts about Boro target Juanfran
No comments:
Post a Comment