Middlesbrough have an advantage of Everton and Watford in the race for a Spanish defender, according to reports.
According to The Mail, newly-promoted Premier League outfit Middlesbrough are in talks with La Liga side Sporting Gijon over signing defender Bernardo Espinosa.
The 23-year-old centre-back is out of contract with the Spanish side this summer and Boro are said to be closing in on a Bosman deal.
The Mail has suggested that Espinosa is leaning toward a switch to the Riverside given he and Boro boss Aitor Karanka are both Spanish.
It goes on to claim that Everton and Watford have followed Espinosa and how Bournemouth have offered him a deal.
But Karanka, who led his troops to automatic promotion from the Championship this past season, looks set to win the race for Espinosa.
English football, and indeed the Premier League, is noted for its intensity and physical element, but at 6’3 Espinosa should have little problem coping with the latter, if he joins a Premier League club.
The towering centre-back is obviously a major physical presence, but the deal might be delayed as a result of an injury which is expected to sideline him until August at the earliest, having been absent for Gijon since January.
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