Juninho sleeps on fresh offer from Middlesbrough

By Damian Spellman

JUNINHO is today mulling over a fresh offer to return to the Premiership after Middlesbrough stepped up their bid for his signature.

The Brazilian’s father Osvaldo Giroldo headed back to Sao Paolo at the weekend having failed to agree personal terms and claiming that Boro’s prospective swoop had come to nothing.

But the Teessiders are refusing to let their interest in the 29-year-old Atletico Madrid star slip, and have raised the stakes by presenting him with a new, improved offer in the hope that he will agree to join the club for the third time in less than seven years.

Club spokesman Dave Allan confirmed the move this afternoon.

“We can confirm that we have made a revised offer to Juninho and negotiations are ongoing,” he said.

“We are hopeful that both parties can eventually agree a deal to bring Juninho back to Middlesbrough.”

The news represents the latest undulation on a rollercoaster ride which has kept the Boro faithful in suspense ever since the club admitted that its surprise bid for the player had been accepted by Atletico almost a fortnight ago.

Their hopes of once again seeing a player regarded as one of the best ever to pull on a shirt for the club do so once again appeared to have been dashed as Mr Giroldo prepared to leave for South America last week having rejected the personal terms on offer.

“I came here for talks, but there has been no deal,” he said.

“The offer they have made is not what we wanted and I will be returning to Brazil.

“This is all part of business — I understand Middlesbrough’s situation. They have certain limits and Juninho didn’t fit into it.

“I have spoken to Atletico and they want Juninho to come back to play for them.”

And he later added: “I travelled here in good faith to discuss the move.

“But Middlesbrough didn’t want to negotiate.

“They simply put up a figure and didn’t want to discuss it. I can’t understand it.

“I’m disappointed that I had to come all the way here for that — they could have told me that when I was in Brazil and I would have said ‘no’.”

However, despite Mr Giroldo’s comments, Boro insisted that the deal was still alive, and have now made their latest move as reports in Spain suggested that Juninho’s return to the Madrid club after extended loan spells at home may not be the formality he might have assumed.

Middlesbrough took the unusual step of admitting their interest in the player at an early stage in the negotiations, sparking suggestions that their move might at least in part be a ploy to sell season tickets, but they are adamant their interest in him is genuine and ongoing.

“Our interest in Juninho is genuine and we have made him a very good offer,” Mr Allan added in a separate statement released through the club’s official website, www.mfc.co.uk.

“Suggestions that our bid is anything but a real attempt to bring Juninho back to the club are well wide of the mark.

“Steve McClaren made it clear he wanted to sign Juninho and the club have backed his judgement and gone to great efforts to try and bring him back.

“Mr Giroldo has made a number of statements in the press about our negotiations. We believe his reason for doing so is because of Juninho’s desire to return to Middlesbrough.

We understand Mr Giroldo’s eagerness to resolve the matter, but believe the negotiations are a private matter between the club, the player and his father.

“Therefore, we do not want to continue to conduct the negotiations through the press.”

Manager Steve McClaren will return from holiday this week hoping to tie up more of his transfer targets after capturing Franck Queudrue and record signing Massimo Maccarone.

Juninho is unlikely to be the last player to attract his attention with Boro understood to be ready to step up their interest in Aston Villa midfielder George Boateng.

But club officials were mystified by reports that Real Madrid’s Cameroon international Geremi was due on Teesside for talks today.

The 23-year-old is understood to be a player who has interested McClaren in the past and could yet be the subject of an approach, but they insist nothing has yet been set up.