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| | Wednesday, 3 July, 2002, 13:06 GMT 14:06 UK Boro's Juninho swoop  Juninho (right) is heading back to Boro Middlesbrough have agreed a deal to bring Juninho back to The Riverside Stadium - and completed an �8.1m move for Italian under-21 striker Massimo Maccarone. Juninho, who came on as a substitute in Brazil's 2-0 win against Germany in the World Cup Final, had been on loan at Flamengo from Atletico Madrid. He will open talks on personal terms soon, and Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren is confident Juninho can be tempted back to The Riverside Stadium for a third time. The tiny 29-year-old Brazilian made a major impact a the club after arriving in a �4.75m move from Sao Paolo in November 1995. He moved to Atletico in a �12m deal two years later after Middlesbrough were relegated, but returned on loan in September 1999. He was not at his best after suffering a leg injury, but has recaptured his form and forced his way into Brazil's World Cup squad. Maccarone has also completed a protracted switch from Empoli, but it is the Juninho deal that will capture the imagination of the Teesside public.
McClaren said: "Ever since we came here I've known about how much he's adored by the Boro fans. "We've followed his progress with Brazil throughout the year. He's back to full fitness and we decided he would be a tremendous asset to this football club. "The club went out to Madrid on Tuesday and we've agreed a fee. "All it needs now it for us to speak to the player and see if we can come to an agreement which would bring him back to Middlesbrough. "I know what kind of player he is and we've watched him very closely.
"He's a player who can do a similar job to Benito Carbone for us last year. I'm excited and hopefully it will come off. "We're hoping Juninho wants to come here and take his career forward with us. We've had positive vibes from all parties and now it's up to the player." McClaren added: "I'm absolutely delighted we have signed Massimo, especially as so many other clubs were interested in signing him. We beat everyone to his signature. "He is strong and quick, plays off the shoulder of defenders and, most importantly, he's a goalscorer. "He's a good, all-round centre-forward and hasmthe potential to develop and become an even better player." | |
See also:  03 Jul 02 | Middlesbrough 03 Jul 02 | Sports Talk 03 Jul 02 | Football 03 Jul 02 | Middlesbrough Top Middlesbrough stories now: Links to more Middlesbrough stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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