Middlesbrough are preparing to follow up the capture of Aiyegbeni Yakubu by trying to broker a deal for Juventus midfielder Stephan Appiah.

The Ghanaian has struggled to force his way into the Serie A league leaders' team and coach Fabio Cappello is allowing the player to move on this summer.

There is even a suggestion that Appiah - formerly of both Brescia and Parma - could be arriving in the North-East as early as tomorrow to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical.

Boro, keen to bolster their options in defence and midfield after adding a forward to their ranks, could face competition from Birmingham City and Everton.

The City factor should not really be a deciding influence but Everton - yet to declare their interest officially - could hold the upper hand with the lure of Champions League football next season.

Appiah is a defensive midfielder and would relish an opportunity to ply his trade in the Premiership.

Boro chief executive Keith Lamb and manager Steve McClaren both flew out to Turin last month to discuss targets while also taking time out to watch Juventus' Champions League encounter with Liverpool.

Defender Igor Tudor has also long been an option for McClaren but it seems the Boro boss has turned his attention to Appiah. He could become the club's second signing of the summer, just days after the curtain came down on the season at Manchester City.

The first of those, Yakubu, revealed his delight after penning a deal, believed to be a five-year contract starting on July 1.

The £6.5m capture from Portsmouth is convinced the move is just the beginning of something big for him and his young career.

"Boro are a club going places and the facilities are the best,'' said Yakubu. "It is a fantastic opportunity for me and I want the new season to start now. I cannot wait. The fact that Boro are in Europe is great for me. I am so excited.

"The stadium and the training ground are unbelievable. I had absolutely no doubts about signing for them once I saw what they had to offer. Boro are a club going to the top and their ambition is the same as mine.

"The squad is very good and is getting better all the time. Getting into Europe again was a great achievement and there is a lot of ambition at Boro. That's why I'm here. All players want to play at the top and they are a club who are heading in only one direction."

Yakubu has been backed to fire Boro into the Champions League next season by the striker's new partner at the Riverside Stadium, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

The 22-year-old, who was at Rockliffe Park on Monday for a medical, is expected to officially become a member of manager Steve McClaren's squad on July 1 and is seen as a vital ingredient in the club's push for honours in the 2005-06 campaign.

The Nigerian has lit up the Premiership for mid-table Portsmouth since moving from Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in 2003 and has scored 29 league goals in 65 starts during his days at Fratton Park.

Yakubu hit 17 this season - one more than Hasselbaink - and Boro are looking for him to repeat his heroics in front of goal when they will be playing in the UEFA Cup for the second successive campaign.

Hasselbaink, robbed of first choice firing partner Mark Viduka for much of the season through injury, believes McClaren's first addition of the summer will become a valuable asset.

"It's a great signing for the club. We will all welcome him with open arms and he is going to be a an important member of our squad," said the 33-year-old. "I am very excited by this player coming here because it is another sign of this club heading in the right direction.

"Yakubu has a very good scoring record. He is a quality striker."

Boro are aiming to draft in more big names during the summer ahead of a European push.

But Hasselbaink, delighted to know he will be playing in the UEFA Cup again, insists that Boro must target an even bigger prize when things restart in August - a Champions League place.

The Dutchman has played with Chelsea, Leeds and Atletico Madrid and he would love to fire Boro into the top four.

"I want to play in the Champions League and we could have done that this year but we suffered a lot of injury problems," he said.

At Boro's Awards Dinner on Monday night Stewart Downing was crowned the club's Player of the Year, while Sunday's display at Manchester City was named Team Performance of the Season.