Britt Assombalonga: Middlesbrough sign Nottingham Forest striker in club-record deal
Last updated on .From the section Football
Middlesbrough have broken their transfer record to sign striker Britt Assombalonga from Championship rivals Nottingham Forest for £15m.
The deal to bring the 24-year-old to Teesside exceeds the £12.7m paid to Dutch side Heerenveen for Brazil striker Afonso Alves in January 2008.
Forest said the fee agreed met a buyout clause in Assombalonga's contract.
Assombalonga overcame a career-threatening knee injury to score 14 goals in 33 games for Forest last term.
"I can't wait to get started and train with the boys," he told Boro's club website. "There's a good feeling around the place. From the minute I walked in it felt right."
Assombalonga, who had signed a new five-year deal at the City Ground in September 2016, also broke Forest's record fee when he joined from Peterborough in August 2014 for around £5.5m.
He caught the attention of Forest with 33 goals in 58 games in his one season at London Road after prolific spells at Braintree and Southend United.
Boro have already added Denmark forward Martin Braithwaite from Toulouse, Norwich midfielder Jonny Howson and Derby defender Cyrus Christie to their senior squad on permanent deals this summer, as well as signing defender Connor Roberts on loan from Swansea.
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Maybe they would have had a better chance at survival if they spent a bit more last year
Please please please get rid of the Parachute payments FFP is completely unfair to none premier league teams the other teams in the league just cannot compete.
Hopefully the money from this transfer is invested wisely.
Boro earned the right to promotion after a good few years in the championship...so they are getting the merits for it, other teams have done the same....Bournemouth, Watford, Huddersfield.
Its not always about money, its about being smart and having good coaching.
If your side (wednesday or united i presume) done the same....you would not be complaining....
Sincerely hope you're right. Boro has been a bit of a striker's graveyard over the last few years. The way we've played Messi would struggle to score. Just hope we change our playing style and start giving our forwards some decent service.
Something wrong at the Boro if you ask me!
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink must be worth a fortune in shirt sales...shame we didn't sign him as well! ;-)
Thinking about it, that probably explains the high level of interest in Aubameyang and Arsenal's continued faith in Oxlade-Chamberlain.