ATHLETIC BILBAO defender Aitor Karanka is hoping Middlesbrough resurrect their interest in him next summer.

The former Real Madrid star was closing in on a move to the Riverside 12 months ago, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute.

However, the 33-year-old has now set his heart on a move to the Premiership with Boro after speaking with former team-mate and ex-Boro midfielder Geremi.

"I have a lot of friends in England," said Karanka. "They have all said great things about playing there. If I don't carry on at Athletic and I get an offer from the Premier League, then I would be delighted.

"A year ago, when I received an offer from Middlesbrough, I spoke to Geremi, who had been there and he told me to go and try it in England."

The former Spain international is in the final year of his contract in La Liga and has recently returned to fitness after six months on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Boro will receive only 408 tickets for next month's UEFA Cup clash against AZ Alkmaar in Holland.

Having avoided potentially difficult trips to Dnipro in the Ukraine and Bulgarian minnows Litex Lovech, the Boro faithful were expected to turn out in force for the away games at Grasshoppers of Zurich and Alkmaar.

However, while the club have been allocated around 3,000 tickets for the game in Switzerland next Thursday, they will receive only a fraction of that number for the game in Holland on November 24.

AZ, semi-finalists last season in the UEFA Cup, have such a small stadium they decided they could only afford Boro limited space.

Meanwhile, tickets for Boro's home game against Dnipro have gone on sale at reduced prices as the club attempt to attract a strong attendance.

A crowd of just 14,191 attended the club's home tie against Xanthi last month. The new tickets are priced at around half the cost of attending a Barclays Premiership game at the Riverside Stadium.

''I am aware of the suggestions for ticket prices to be reduced,'' chairman Steve Gibson told club website www.mfc.co.uk.

He added: ''I understand that some of our fans cannot back us financially at every game.

''Equally, I trust they will understand that we have invested heavily over a number of years to ensure we first qualified for Europe and were then in a position to do well in the competition while still progressing in the Premier League.

''I'm asking the fans to respond and back us in the way they have done on so many occasions. Let's fill the stadium and give the team our full support.

''I want the fans to back us in our quest not only to progress from the group stage but to go further than we did in last season's UEFA Cup run. I believe we are capable of going a long way in this competition and I am excited about that possibility. I hope the fans are too.''

* The kick-off time of Boro's final UEFA Cup group game against Bulgarian side Litex Lovech has been changed, with a 7.45pm start at The Riverside on Thursday, December 15.

* Defender Gregory Vignal insists Portsmouth will be able to handle former striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Yakubu left Fratton Park to join Boro in a £7m summer deal after top-scoring with 19 goals in each of the previous two seasons at Pompey. Vignal said: "He is a very strong player who scores goals but he will have to play well to score against us."

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