MASSIMO MACCARONE has pledged to prove to the Middlesbrough fans he is good enough to make it in the Premiership - despite his imminent return to Italy.

The £8.15m signing has been allowed to sign for Fiorentina in a season-long loan deal, as Boro boss Steve McClaren seeks to trim the Riverside wage bill.

The deal will be one of three which Boro expect to conclude this week, with Jonathan Greening joining Maccarone through the exit door and Boudewijn Zenden finally arriving on Teesside.

McClaren, yesterday linked with the England job following the latest revelations about Sven-Goran Eriksson's private life, sees Zenden as the final piece in his summer jigsaw.

The Dutch international left-sided player will become his fifth and final summer signing after the arrivals of Michael Reiziger, Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Ray Parlour.

The signings of Hasselbaink and Viduka have forced McClaren to slim down his forward line.

Despite Michael Ricketts moving to Leeds, Boro still have five out-and-out strikers on their books along with Joseph-Desire Job, who penned a new deal earlier this summer, and Maccarone is deemed surplus to requirements at present.

A disappointed Maccarone said: "I am very sad about leaving.

"I love Middlesbrough, the fans, the area and everything about it. I think I will be departing later this week, but I really do hope to be back and prove myself to everyone, especially the fans."

Boro haven't completely ruled out a return for the 24-year-old - who scored 16 goals in his two-year spell - refusing the Florentines request to buy a part share in the player, which is common with many transfers in Italy.

Maccarone, who joined the Teessiders from Empoli, is keen to return to England in the future and his agent Paolo Fabbri confirmed talks are still ongoing with Boro. "We have a few more details to sort out with Middlesbrough," said Fabbri.

"Then we need to talk with Fiorentina, but we hope to have the deal done within the week.

"Massimo knows this is a financial issue rather than a technical one. He wants to come back to England and I think that will be what happens."

Zenden's arrival will spell the end of Greening's three year spell on Teesside.

West Brom manager Gary Megson was set for talks with Greening yesterday in a bid to close a deal for the Middlesbrough midfielder.

Albion had a near £2m bid for the ex-Manchester United man accepted almost two weeks ago, and Megson flew back from their pre-season tour of Denmark in a bid to speed up the negotiation process.

* Boro will decide this week whether to firm up their interest in Dutch trialist Sergio. The 19-year-old midfielder has impressed in games against York and Preston but is believed to be under contract at Belgian side Anderlecht.

* Middlesbrough take a strong squad to face Nottingham Forest tonight in their latest pre-season game. The club were initially due to field two sides on the same night with a second XI playing at cash-strapped Bradford, but that game was cancelled so McClaren has a full squad at his disposal.

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