Boro move closer to Alves deal

Middlesbrough are set to clinch the signing of Heerenveen striker Afonso Alves in the next 24 hours, according to chief executive Keith Lamb.

The Brazilian has been linked with a move to the Riverside for a number of weeks but it was held up by a dispute between the player’s club and fellow Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, who had claimed they already had an agreement to the sign the 26-year-old.