Source: Northern_Echo
* BREAKING NEWS * Boro close to completing goalkeeper loan deal
AFTER frantic early-morning talks, Middlesbrough are close to completing a loan deal for Nottingham Forest reserve goalkeeper Paul Smith.[LNB] The deal will see misfiring Boro striker Kris Boyd move in the opposite direction to the City Ground.[LNB] With Jason Steele and Danny Coyne both injured, Boro boss Tony Mowbray has spent all weekend desperately trying to sign an experienced keeper ahead of tonight's game with Derby.[LNB] He all but admitted defeat yesterday evening, but early discussions this morning have paved the way for Smith's arrival.[LNB] The keeper is understood to be travelling to the North-East this morning in order to seal the deal, with Boro having until 4.45pm to register him for tonight's game.[LNB] Smith has not made a senior appearance since last May, however, so it remains to be seen whether he goes straight into the starting line-up for tonight's game.[LNB] Boyd's departure is hardly a surprise given Mowbray's reluctance to play the former Rangers striker, who was signed amid much fanfare by Gordon Strachan last summer It is likely that Boro are continuing to pay a significant proportion of Boyd's wages, which are understood to be more than £30,000-a-week.[LNB]
