Boro agree fee for Downing

Middlesbrough have agreed a fee with West Ham for winger Stewart Downing, according to reports.

Downing is poised to return to his home town club for a fee of around £5m with talks over a deal having been going on between the clubs for some time.

The 30-year-old graduated from the Middlesbrough academy and made 234 appearances for the club before leaving for Aston Villa at the end of the 2008-9 season.

He spent two years at Villa Park before joining Liverpool and then moved on to West Ham at the start of the 2013-14 campaign, where he played a regular role over the last two seasons.

Downing is expected to undergo a medical on Thursday and he could join up with the rest of the Boro squad at their training camp in Marbella by the end of the week if the deal is completed in time.