Barragan signs for Boro; Negredo to follow?

Middlesbrough’s busy summer has continued with the £1.5m acquisition of Valencia defender Antonio Barragan on a three-year deal.

The 29-year-old right-back, who spent time with Liverpool as a teenager, is the sixth player to move to the north east in this window as Aitor Karanka shapes his squad ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Barragan has joined Victor Valdes, Viktor Fischer, Bernardo Espinosa, Marten de Roon and Jordan McGhee in Karanka’s ranks and Boro hope his old Valencia team-mate Alvaro Negredo can follow too with the clubs working on an initial loan deal.

Barragan left Liverpool in 2006 and played for Deportivo and Real Valladolid prior to joining Los Che, whom he made over a century of appearances for.

“I am really pleased he has signed,” Karanka told www.mfc.co.uk.

“He is a player we know a lot about and he is a good addition to the squad. He is a good lad, and he has played a lot of games for Valencia.

“He knows this country as well because he was at Liverpool as a young player. He is a good signing for us.”