A surprising competitor in Middlesbrough have reportedly emerged in the race to land Paris Saint-Germain winger Jese Rodriguez this transfer window, who is looking to part ways with the French club after feeling redundant in their star-studded squad.
English giants like Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have been monitoring the 23-year-old for quite some now and with PSG boss Unai Emery looking to offload some forwards before they head into the hectic second half of the season, a move for the Spanish International to the Premier League is a possibility.
Given Boro’s stature and financial prowess, a bid from the Riverside would definitely be considered an ambitious and bold move. And if there is a loan move in the mind of PSG, then quite shockingly Boro could be a likely destination for Jese. Boro boss Aitor Karanka was the assistant coach during Jose Mourinho’s stint at Real Madrid, who was responsible for bringing Jese into the spotlight giving him the breakthrough season.
Hence, the unused winger could be best nurtured by Karanka, who knows the player by his length and breadth. Although we know moving to Boro from PSG is a massive step down and Jese would never consider such a move on a permanent basis, the Real Madrid youth product is in dire need of a platform to showcase his prowess at the moment, which Middlesbrough could provide.
With Leicester City planning to trigger the release clause of Boro’s star player Gaston Ramirez, Karanka will have to find a potential replacement and fast. And a player with real potential, who is searching for playing team could be a great move. However, Boro will face stiff competition from AS Roma and La Liga side UD Las Palmas, who are also keen on Rodriguez and could be equally helpful for Jese.
With the likes of Angel di Maria, Lucas, Hervi Ongenda, Hatem Ben Arfa, Javier Pastore and now Julian Draxler, a first team role for Jese looks extremely difficult. To further add to that, the Spanish international is largely an unproven prospect at the highest level of football. Hence, in clubs like Liverpool, Spurs and United, he might not get repeated chances to prove himself as he will get in Boro, to adapt to the English football.
Jese’s dribbling abilities and immaculate passing could make him a huge asset for Middlesbrough if he decides to move. Boro are currently 16th in the Premier League and after struggling to score the goals, they need some flair up front to stave off the threat of relegation.
