Middlesbrough agree Stewart Downing fee?

Middlesbrough have reportedly agreed a £5m fee with Premier League side West Ham United for winger Stewart Downing.

The 30-year-old has been linked with a return to his hometown club this summer, despite manager Aitor Karanka admitting that it would be hard to coax him down to the Championship.

However, reports emerged earlier today suggesting that Downing was edging ever closer to a move, and talkSPORT now claims that the two clubs have agreed a £5m fee.

The England international is expected to undergo a medical on Thursday, clearing the path for him to join up with the rest of the squad at their pre-season training camp in Marbella.

It has been speculated that Downing will pen a five-year deal at the Riverside as he hopes to see out his career with Boro, where he made 234 appearances in eight seasons between 2001 and 2009.

He has also played for Aston Villa and Liverpool, but has not featured in the second tier of English football since a loan spell with Sunderland in the 2003-04 campaign.