Alves set for Boro move
30 Jan 2008 - 07:12:31
Heerenveen striker Afonso Alves is poised to sign for Middlesbrough after undergoing a medical on Teesside.
The 26-year-old Brazilian is expected to put pen to paper on Wednesday for a club record transfer fee.
Boro's previous record transfer fee was the £8million they paid Italian side Empoli for striker Massimo Maccarone in 2002.
"By being willing to break the club's transfer record, the chairman is showing how much he is prepared to back the club," manager Gareth Southgate told the club's official website.
"You take a chance in signing any player - whether they be Brazilian, Dutch or any other nationality - especially if they are a striker because they will be judged on the goals they score.
"Alves has scored a huge number of goals in Holland and was a regular scorer before that in Sweden too, while he has also been included in the Brazil national team.
"The other big thing, which is obviously important, is that he wants to be here."
Meanwhile, Southgate has attempted to cool a brewing row with Stewart Downing over his future at the Riverside.
Downing's agent has warned Boro that the England winger he will not sign a new contract and is keen to leave the club.
However, Southgate hopes to persuade the 23-year-old that his future lies with his hometown club.
"We have to try and show him over the next few months how much we want him to stay, how ambitious we are and what he can achieve here," he said.
"We can build a very good team together here and we're not too far away from that now.
"The chairman has had a long chat with Stewart about his plans for the club, so he knows where we stand and what we want to do."