Juninho and Maccarone off to Boro

Adrian Curtis13 April 2012

Middlesbrough have signed Italy striker Massimo Maccarone from Empoli for a club record £8.15million and agreed a fee with Atletico Madrid for Brazilian international Juninho.

In a major coup, Boro have beaten a host of other major clubs to sign the highly rated Maccarone and they now seem certain to take World Cup winner Juninho to Teesside for a third time.

Maccarone made his senior debut for Italy against England at Elland Road in March and won the penalty which helped the Azzurri win 2-1.

He was also a key member of Italy's Under-21 side at the European Championships in Switzerland in May, where his two goals saw off the challenge of David Platt's England team.

The confirmation of Maccarone's arrival on a five-year contract ends a saga which has lasted for several weeks.

The 22-year-old striker and his representatives agreed terms last month but Boro would not confirm the deal, which outstrips the £8m they paid Aston Villa for Ugo Ehiogu, until all the paperwork was completed.

He is expected to be unveiled at a press conference on Monday and manager Steve McClaren said today: "I'm absolutely delighted we have signed Massimo, especially as so many other clubs were interested in signing him.

"He is strong and quick, plays off the shoulder of defenders and, most importantly, he's a goalscorer.

"He's a good, all-round centreforward and has the potential to develop and become an even better player."

Boro are expected to open negotiations with the 27-yearold Juninho within days after agreeing terms yesterday.

The Brazilian made a major impact at the club after arriving in a £4.75m move from Sao Paulo in November 1995 and returned on loan in September 1999, but was not back to his best after a serious leg fracture.

McClaren said: "Juninho is adored by the Boro fans. We've followed his progress with Brazil throughout the year.

"He's back to full fitness and we decided he would be a tremendous asset to this football club.

"We've agreed a fee and all it needs now it for us to speak to the player and see if we can come to an agreement which would bring him back here. He's a player who can do a similar job to the one Benito Carbone did for us last year.

"I'm excited and hopefully it will come off. We've had positive vibes from all parties and now it's up to the player."

Juninho looked to be back to his best during the World Cup and picked up a winners' medal as a late substitute in Brazil's 2-0 win over Germany.

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