Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed his interest in Paris Saint Germain star Didier Digard.
Southgate moves for PSG ace
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed his interest in Paris Saint Germain star Didier Digard.
The 21-year-old midfielder is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Boro, their North East rivals Newcastle and Portsmouth.
But Boro appear to have moved into pole position after launching a 5million euros (£3.9million) bid, although reports in France suggest PSG want nearer 8million euros (£6.3million).
Despite a gap in their current valuations, it is thought the two clubs are in conversation and a deal could be in the offing, with Boro boss Gareth Southgate desperate for midfield reinforcements.
Fabio Rochemback and Gaizka Mendieta have already departed the club this summer, while George Boateng and Lee Cattermole will be allowed to leave if sufficient offers come in.
With that Southgate is looking to overhaul his engine room and he has admitted Digard is high on his list of targets.
Interest
"Didier is somebody we've been watching, and he's somebody we've made an enquiry about," confirmed Southgate.
"He's a player with definite qualities and he's someone we're interested in, but at this stage of the summer, it's difficult to go any further.
"The one major difference between Didier and a lot of other players is that the signs seem to suggest that his club are willing to sell him.
"That obviously puts him in a slightly different position to some of the other players we might have been looking at."
Quick deals
Southgate admits he wants deals done quickly in order that any prospective new players benefit from a full pre-season.
"As a manager, the ideal scenario is that you have the players in for the start of pre-season training," he said.
"When we come back on 7th July to start training, we'd love to have all the players in so we could sit them down and explain exactly how we're going to work this year.
"That would give everybody as long as possible to work together during the pre-season period. If we could do that, it would be a great bonus.
"We're very active, and we're trying to get into a situation where we've put bids in with other clubs. We know exactly the positions we want to try to strengthen, and the types of players we want to bring in. But these things take a bit of time."
Boro's main transfer targets are very much midfield orientated with Michael Bradley, Steve Sidwell, Tom Huddlestone, James Milner, James Harper and Sean Davis all thought to be under consideration by Southgate.
Meanwhile, one deal Boro have concluded is persuading young prospect Nathan Porritt to pen a professional deal.
The 18-year-old forward had been locked in talks with a host of clubs, but has now opted to remain on Teesside.
