Medical complete as Middlesbrough close in on transfer swoop

Matt Clarke has passed his Middlesbrough medical as he closes in on a move from Brighton.

The left-sided centre-back has been with the Seagulls for a few years but his game time has come from various loan spells, including most recently with West Brom in the previous campaign where he impressed.

Now, he will be on the move permanently, as Boro agreed an initial £2.25m deal with the Premier League side for Clarke, who was heading to Teesside to finalise the switch.

And, the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (16:15) has revealed that Clarke has now completed his medical, with an announcement of his arrival expected from Boro later this evening.

That will be a big boost for Chris Wilder who has been desperate to bring in reinforcements ahead of the deadline after a poor start to the Championship season which has left the club sitting in 23rd position after five games.

Clarke is expected to play on the left of the back three for Boro and he could make his debut against Swansea this weekend.

The verdict

This is a fantastic bit of business for Boro because Clarke has shown with Derby and Albion over the years that he is a top performer at this level.

So, you would expect him to be able to fit in easily with his new teammates and he should help a Boro defence that has looked unconvincing in the opening weeks of the campaign.

For Wilder, he will be pleased to get this over the line, although he will be aware that further new faces are needed.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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