MIDDLESBROUGH have finally agreed a deal with Sporting Lisbon for lightning-quick winger Rudolph Douala.

After weeks of negotiations the clubs have agreed a fee in the region of £5.5m and Douala will today be given the go-ahead to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms on Teesside.

Boro boss Steve McClaren will be relieved to finally land his man after weeks of searching for someone to fill the void left by Bolo Zenden.

Douala will battle with Stewart Downing for the left wing role while he also offers an alternative down the right.

Boro have been in negotiations with Sporting for a number of weeks but an impasse was reached after failing to agree a fee.

The deal had looked like being done last week only for Newcastle to come in and offer more money before pulling out of the deal.

But now Boro are on the verge of landing their man which will come as a relief to McClaren who is still searching for another midfielder - with Douala's team-mate Fabio Rochemback high on his wish list.

Saturday's goalless draw with Liverpool highlighted Boro's need for an injection of pace and creativity in the middle of the pitch.

One player still likely to be on his way out at Boro is Joseph Job.

His on-off move to West Ham is back on again after reopening talks with the Premiership newcomers.

Boro and the Hammers reached an agreement on Friday over a deal that would see the Cameroon international end his five year stay on Teesside.

But, after holding negotiations over the weekend, West Ham boss Alan Pardew revealed the player had returned to the North-East after a breakdown over personal terms.

"We talked to Joseph but he has gone back and it does not look like it is going to happen," said Pardew yesterday morning.

However, Job is talking again with Pardew and the London club's board in an attempt to resurrect a transfer that would suit all parties.

The 27-year-old striker faces a season on the sidelines if he can't manufacture a move away from the Riverside Stadium before the closure of the transfer window at the end of the month.

And Job, with a year left to run on his contract, said recently: "It's true that I want to move on because, like all footballers, I want to play more and I know for sure I won't get that here."

Zenden, meanwhile, has come under fire from chief executive Keith Lamb for comments made after Saturday's goalless draw with Liverpool.

Zenden, who returned to the Riverside on Saturday for the first time since leaving, blamed Lamb for the way he was treated badly by supporters when he made his Premiership debut for the Reds.

But Lamb has hit back saying: "Bolo was earning £1.5m a year and I offered him a three-year deal at £1.8m a year. Bolo kept saying publicly that it wasn't about money but in the event he signed for Liverpool.

"We made it clear we wanted to keep him and we made him our best offer. We were honest and up front and we told him what we were prepared to pay him. It was up to him to accept or turn it down and he turned it down. It's disappointing to hear his comments."

Boro left-back Andrew Taylor, on loan at Bradford, has been called up to the England under-21 for tonight's friendly with Denmark.

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