MIDDLESBROUGH are closing in on a £14m double deal for Patrick Bamford and Bojan Krkic, but Gaston Ramirez’s Riverside future continues to hang in the balance with Leicester City having stepped up their pursuit of the midfielder.

Bamford should be confirmed as Boro’s second signing of the January window ahead of this weekend’s home game with West Ham, with Chelsea having accepted the Teessiders’ offer for the striker.

Boro will pay an up-front fee of around £6m, with a series of additional clauses potentially taking the total cost of the transfer to £10m if Bamford proves a success in his second spell at the Riverside.

Chelsea recalled Bamford, who is due to undergo a medical within the next 48 hours, from an unsuccessful loan spell at Burnley over the weekend, having become aware of Boro’s desire to sign the 23-year-old permanently.

Blues boss Antonio Conte does not see the 23-year-old having a future at Stamford Bridge, and rather than sending him back out on loan, the Chelsea hierarchy have opted to sever their ties before he enters the final year of his current deal.

The Northern Echo:

Bamford, who is expected to sign a five-year deal on Teesside, scored 19 goals while on loan with Boro during the 2014-15 season.

His performances helped the Teessiders reach the Championship play-off final, but while Karanka wanted to re-sign him for the following campaign, Bamford elected to join Crystal Palace instead.

He failed to hold down a first-team place at Selhurst Park, and subsequent loan deals at Norwich and Burnley have also seen him regularly consigned to the sidelines.

Aitor Karanka continues to rate him highly though, with Bamford’s ability to play as a central striker or in a wide-attacking role making him especially appealing to the Boro head coach.

Karanka has been looking to add some extra creativity to his side this month, and having agreed deals for Rudy Gestede, who made his Boro debut at Watford last weekend, and Bamford, the Spaniard is also hoping to complete an £8m deal for Bojan.

Boro officials have held a number of discussions with their counterparts at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium, and while Mark Hughes had initially been keen to keep hold of Bojan until the summer, the Spaniard’s desire to move on looks like forcing his hand.

The Northern Echo:

Bojan is known to be unhappy at his lack of involvement this season, with Hughes having handed him just five Premier League starts.

The attacking midfielder worked with Karanka in the Spanish youth system, and is understood to be keen to move to Middlesbrough in an attempt to reignite his career.

He missed Stoke’s weekend win at Sunderland after informing Hughes he was experiencing some discomfort with his hip, and Boro’s recruitment team will attempt to thrash out a deal in the next couple of days.

Stoke value Bojan at around £12m, but Boro are hoping to reach an agreement that would see them pay an initial fee of £8m with potential add-ons.

As well as pushing for Bojan’s capture, Karanka continues to monitor Gerard Deulofeu’s position at Everton, with the Spaniard seemingly playing little part in Ronald Koeman’s long-term plans.

If the Bojan deal goes through in the next week or so, Karanka could be persuaded to allow Ramirez to leave despite his weekend protestations that the Uruguayan would not be going anywhere.

Leicester have made a number of inquiries about Ramirez’s position, and are prepared to pay around £15m in order to sign the South American.

Ramirez missed last weekend’s draw at Watford with a knee injury, and is already a doubt for Saturday’s home game with West Ham. He is aware of Leicester’s interest, and is understood to regard a move to the King Power Stadium as an attractive proposition, even though the reigning champions are currently just one place and one point above Boro in the table. They have, however, qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Sevilla.

There are likely to be further departures from the Riverside this month, with Stewart Downing and Jordan Rhodes expected to leave before the transfer window closes.

Crystal Palace continue to lead the chase for Downing, who will leave on loan, while Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa have expressed an interest in Rhodes. Villa would like to sign Rhodes permanently, but need to sell Ross McCormack or Jordan Ayew in order to fund the move.

Meanwhile, Gestede has spoken of his pride at making his Boro debut following his £6m move from Blackburn.

Gestede was a 65th-minute replacement for Cristhian Stuani at Vicarage Road, and while he was unable to engineer a breakthrough, he was happy to be back on the Premier League stage.

“I’m very pleased, it’s a very good feeling,” said Gestede. “I’ve wanted to play at the highest level since I was a kid, and now I’ve got the chance to be back. I’m very pleased, and hopefully we’ll do well in the second half of the season.”