Things don’t get any easier for Middlesbrough, who are fighting for their lives at the foot of the table, as Man Utd are next up for Gareth Southgate’s team.

Former Inter striker Adriano is set for a swift return to football with Brazilian side Flamengo.

Adriano had his contract terminated with Inter last month, saying he had fallen out of love with the game.

However, Flamengo vice-president Kleber Leite claims the Brazilian outfit are close to securing Adriano’s services.

“We are working on Adriano’s situation,” Leite told Gazeta Esportiva.

“It’s not true that Adriano is already a player of Flamengo but everything is going the right way.

“There are still some details to be resolved. This is something that will be resolved between the 8th and 10th of May.

“We have got a sponsor that is going to pay part of his salary; they will use the player in marketing events without having to print their name on Flamengo shirts,” confirmed Leite.

“This negotiation is being done with our feet on the ground.

“Besides all this, we can’t say the player belongs to us because in football you can never say that until all the papers have been signed.”

Things don’t get any easier for Middlesbrough, who are fighting for their lives at the foot of the table, as Man Utd are next up for Gareth Southgate’s team.

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