Middlesbrough and Karanka set to land stunning deal for PSG star

Middlesbrough look set to complete the headline-grabbing acquisition of PSG forward Jese Rodriguez.

It’s a major coup for the Teessiders, with PSG paying a whopping £21m for the 23-year-old just six months ago from Real Madrid.

And it’s through Madrid where this deal has come together.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka knows Jese well from their days together in the Spanish capital, with the midfielder coming through the youth ranks at Los Blancos.

But the Spaniard never quite cracked it as a first-team regular the Bernabeu, and a move to Paris last summer promised to finally pitch the forward into the big time.

It hasn’t turned out that way however, with Jese making just nine Ligue 1 appearances under Unai Emery in the French capital.

And so Karanka has made the move to bring his old colleague into the Premier League.

It’s not the first time Middlesbrough have welcomed European heroes to the Riverside, with the north-east club enjoying a continental conveyor belt dating back 20 years.

Brazilian greats Juninho and Emerson, Italian legend Fabrivio Ravanelli, Croatian cult hero Alen Boksic and Spain’s midfield favourite Gaizka Mendienta have all become Boro legends down the years.

It may be only a six-month spell, but the Reds have landed one of Europe’s brightest talents in Jese.

For now Karanka and his team are focusing on Emirates FA Cup action, with Accrington Stanley the visitors.

But at odds of 1/3, we make it rather likely that Jese is set to arrive in the north-east with Middlesbrough safely into the Fifth Round.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing