Middlesbrough look set to bolster their attacking options with the arrival of Aston Villa target man Rudy Gestede, with Sky Sports claiming that a fee of £6million has been agreed between the two clubs.

The Benin international is to travel to Teesside for a medical in the coming days with the view to completing the move before Boro's clash with Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday.

The former Blackburn Rovers man could be set to link up with his ex-strike partner Jordan Rhodes in the North East but, with the Scotsman struggling for game time, it could be a case of one in, one out.

Bruce confirms fee agreed

Villa boss Steve Bruce confirmed on BBC West Midlands that a fee has been agreed, and says he expects that the deal will go through.

"Yes he is up there for talks," he said.

"The two clubs agreed a fee yesterday or the day before, so he's up there for talks and I'd envisage something may happen there."

Gestede, 28, was prolific at Championship level with Blackburn, scoring 35 goals in two seasons at the club, but has found the net just ten times since joining Villa at the beginning of last season.

However, there is a feeling that his style of play could fit in well on Teesside, providing some much-needed competition for fellow target man Alvaro Negredo in the long striker's role.

Middlesbrough fans familiar with Gestede

Indeed, he is a man who has already made an impression on the Middlesbrough fans after his goal at the Riverside Stadium for Blackburn two seasons ago.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka was sent to the stands and slapped with a one-match touchline ban for his protestations after Gestede appeared to foul goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos as he bundled home a late equaliser for Rovers.

With Karanka making good use of the January transfer window last season, bringing in Rhodes and Gaston Ramirez amongst others, there is hope on Teesside that more new faces will be brought in to boost their team's attacking power in their bid to stave off relegation.

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About the author
Sam France
Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor at VAVEL UK, part of the VAVEL team 2014-2018.