West Ham winger Stewart Downing is officially headed to Middlesbrough on a four-year deal.
According to Sky Sports, the deal is currently worth £5.5m but may rise to £7m if Middlesbrough are promoted to the Premier League.
Boro head coach Aitor Karanka talked about how thrilled he is with his team’s newest acquisition.
“It’s an amazing signing for us. He’s more than just a player. Nobody expected him to come here, but he wants to be here, and is completely committed to the club and the team,” Karanka said.
Boro have failed to return to the Premier League since being relegated in 2009 for finishing in 19th place.
Their relegation caused Downing to transfer to Aston Villa, with whom he spent two seasons before playing at Liverpool for another two seasons.
Downing has spent the last two seasons of his career with West Ham, and he scored six goals in the 2014-15 season while making 36 Premier League appearances.
Despite Boro’s recent struggles, they have shown potential to return to England’s most prestigious league.
They finished in fourth place in the 2014-15 Football League Championship standings.
Boro lost out on Premier League promotion to Norwich City, who finished one point ahead of them in the standings and knocked them out in the Championship Play-off Final.
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