McDonald will join four former Celtic team-mates at Boro

By Chris McLaughlin

Middlesbrough have agreed a deal of around £3.5m with Celtic to take Scott McDonald from Glasgow to Teesside.

The Australian goalscorer's move appeared in doubt earlier on Monday, but terms were agreed before the transfer deadline closed at 1700 GMT.

Boro manager Gordon Strachan signed McDonald, 26, from Motherwell in 2007 when he was in charge at Celtic.

Now he will be reunited with a player keen to feature regularly to clinch a place in his country's World Cup squad.

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray said on Saturday that he was keen for McDonald to stay.

But, having signed Morten Rasmussen, Diomansy Kamara on loan and with hopes of adding Robbie Keane to his strikeforce, he has allowed the prolific striker to leave.

The Celtic manager had indicated that he could not assure the striker, who has scored 14 goals this season, that he would play for 90 minutes in every game.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Were Celtic right to let Scott McDonald go?

Wigan recently ended their interest in McDonald because of Celtic's asking price and West Ham had enquired about the player.

Gordon Strachan, who took over at Boro in October, bought McDonald for £700,000 from Motherwell, for whom he had starred for three seasons.

The striker will join former Celtic players Stephen McManus, Willo Flood, Chris Killen and Barry Robson at the Championship club and could partner Lee Miller up front after his move from Aberdeen.

McDonald, who has earned 15 caps for Australia, arrived in British football from Cranbourne Comets.

He made only a handful of appearances in brief spells with Southampton, Bournemouth and Wimbledon - and also served Huddersfield on loan.

McDonald scored 64 goals in 127 appearances for Celtic and will be keen to start hitting the net regularly to clinch his place in Australia's squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer.

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