Cash set to scupper Boro's Parlour plans

Middlesbrough face a major financial hurdle in any attempt to sign Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour.

The Romford-born former England international, now aged 31, is overdue a testimonial match at Highbury which could net him around £750,000 (€1.12m) and it may well take place at the end of the coming season.

That means Parlour looks sure to stay with the Premiership champions for at least one more campaign even though big-spending Boro chairman Steve Gibson could offer a generous salary package at The Riverside.

Parlour joined the Gunners straight from school and made his first-team debut way back in January 1992 against Liverpool at Anfield.

Since then he has racked up a total of 466 appearances and, last season, manager Arsene Wenger handed him 26 starts despite three months out with damaged knee ligaments.

With veteran defender Martin Keown now released, Parlour is Arsenal’s record appearance-maker among the present playing staff.

Wenger is still a fan of the gritty English style and consistency he adds to the side’s continental mix and regards him as an important member of the squad, a player able to operate wide or in the centre of midfield.

Parlour recently hit the headlines on the news pages when his ex-wife successfully claimed a multi-million pound revised divorce settlement, claiming she rescued him from drinking problems early in his career.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are still adopting a contemptuous attitude to Real Madrid’s latest bid to unhinge Patrick Vieira from Highbury.

Influential vice-chairman David Dein is still refusing to even discuss the situation publicly after chairman Peter Hill-Wood described the reports as “becoming irritating”.