Alves on his way?

BORO transfer target Afonso Alves is understood to be close to sealing a move to BORO after a visit to The Riverside to meet with manager Gareth Southgate.

It is understood that Alves' team, Heerenveen, are asking for around £15 million for the super-striker who netted more than 30 goals last season and it is thought that BORO are close to agreeing a deal with the player.

However the deal is set to hit turmoil as Heerenveen's rivals AZ Alkmaar claim they have a 'pre-agreement' with the player, which stated that he would join the club at the beginning of January.

Whilst BORO are close to a deal with Heerenveen, if the Dutch FA rule that Alves is officially an AZ player then BORO would have to begin negotiations with AZ over a deal for the player and it is likely that AZ would demand a higher price for the player who has insisted that his future does not lie in Holland, as he hopes to move to England.

Alves' visit to The Riverside, at the weekend, enraged AZ officials who are convinced that Alves should be their player after agreeing to join them at the end of 2007 and the club have called for the Dutch FA to step in and rule on the whole saga.

The Evening Gazette have also reported that French side Monaco are showing interest in BORO's inconsistent Brazilian midfielder Fabio Rochemback, who has long been the subject to speculation suggesting that he is unhappy at The Riverside and wishes to leave. Reports last year claimed that Fabio's father was pleading with other continental clubs to make an approach for the player.

Photos courtesy of MFC Official Website (www.mfc.co.uk) & Google UK image Search (www.google.co.uk)