George Friend has become Birmingham City's first summer signing, reuniting with former boss Aitor Karanka at St Andrews Trillion Trophy Stadium.
The veteran defender has penned a two-year deal with a further one-year option.
Middlesbrough were eager to keep hold of him but the 32-year-old preferred to move back to the Midlands with his former manager. The defender departs the Teeside club after eight years and 299 appearances following his arrival from Doncaster Rovers in 2012.
Friend, who predominantly plays as a left-back was a mainstay in Karanka's Middlesbrough side who gained promotion to the Premier League in 2016. His performances at Boro were widely recognised as was twice voted into the PFA Championship team of the year for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons.
Versatility could be key for Boro
Recently he has transitioned into a centre-half which will be great for Birmingham who are currently lacking defensive options. Post-lockdown the versatile player was deployed as a centre-half and he started eight consecutive games as captain under Neil Warnock.
His arrival will provide competition for full-backs Kristian Pedersen and Steve Seddon but there is a chance of transfer interest in the former as he is one of the Blues' best assets having turned down Watford for his services in January. Whereas Seddon is wanted by League One side Portsmouth after impressing on his loan at Fratton Park.
Due to his versatility to play in the heart of defence, the Devon-born defender provides competition for captain Harlee Dean and Marc Roberts as Karanka looks to tighten up his defence ahead of the new season. The club will be looking to bolster the defensive areas of the squad following Jake Clarke-Salter's loan ending and the youngster has returned to Chelsea.
According to BBC WM's Richard Wilford, Friend's arrival will be closely followed by Spanish winger Ivan Sanchez once his play-off campaign with Elche CF is finished.