Middlesbrough have allowed goalkeeper Tomas Mejias to leave on loan.

The 27-year-old Spaniard, who hasn’t featured for Aitor Karanka’s side during their current campaign, has joined the Spanish second division side Rayo Vallecano until the end of the season.

The deal was expected to go ahead after Vallecano’s Twitter account revealed that Mejias was training with the Spanish side.

Mejias, who signed for Boro back in 2014 from Real Madrid, has struggled to nail down a first-team place at North East club, with most of his appearances coming in the cup competitions.

Best performances came in the cup

If Mejias is to leave on a permanent basis, he will be remembered for two outstanding performances in Manchester.

At the start of 2015, Mejias made a series of brilliant saves when Boro recorded a memorable 2-0 victory away at Manchester City in the FA Cup.

Later that year, Mejias was the hero at Old Trafford when Boro knocked Manchester United out of the Capital One Cup at the fourth-round stage after a penalty shoot-out.

Since then, the arrivals of Victor Valdes and Brad Guzan have added more competition for the number one jersey and Mejias has subsequently been bumped down the pecking order at the Riverside.

Karanka did confirm back in September, following Boro’s promotion to the Premier League, that Mejias or Greek shot stopper Dimi Konstantopulos would be allowed to leave.

Both remained at the club when the transfer window shut in September, however Boro were always likely to let one go.

Soisalo to join the Under-23 side

Boro have also confirmed today that the club has completed the signing of Finnish forward Mikael Soisalo.

The highly-rated 18-year-old will go straight into Paul Jenkins’ Under-23 side after arriving from Finnish club Tampere.

Soisalo is Boro’s second signing of the January transfer window, after the Teessiders’ finalised a £6 million deal for Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede on Wednesday.

The Benin international could make his debut at the weekend when Boro take on Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the FA Cup.