Adama Traore to join Calum Chambers at Middlesbrough - but Albert Adomah set to leave

The Teessiders should complete a deadline-day signing of their own with Villa youngster Adama Traore expected at Rockliffe Park tomorrow morning to conduct a medical, but Jordan Rhodes will only be leaving if Aitor Karanka is able to secure an adequate attacking replacement.

Traore’s arrival from Villa Park is not directly linked to Adomah’s anticipated departure in the opposite direction, although discussions between the two clubs over the last 24 hours have involved both players.

Traore, who can play on either flank, moved to England in a £7m move from Barcelona last summer, but suffered an injury-hit campaign as Villa dropped out of the top-flight.

The 20-year-old broke his foot in January, and only appeared once in the second half of the season. His only appearance of the current campaign came as a second-half substitute in Villa’s 3-0 win over Rotherham, and he is keen to rebuild his career away from Villa Park.

A Spain youth international, he was extremely highly rated prior to his departure from Barcelona, where he progressed through the Spanish champions’ respected academy.

Chambers’ loan deal was confirmed this evening, with the 21-year-old, who can play at centre-half or right-back, having spent the day at Rockliffe Park.

The England international is desperate to rebuild his career on Teesside, having struggled to establish a first-team spot at Arsenal following 2014’s £16m move from Southampton.

Chambers was regarded as one of the most promising defenders in the country when he left St Mary’s, but has made just 20 Premier League starts in the last two seasons.

He has fallen down the international pecking order, losing his place in the England squad, and will compete with Daniel Ayala, Ben Gibson, Bernardo Espinosa and Antonio Barragan for a place in Middlesbrough’s starting line-up, as well as providing competition for Emilio Nsue in the full-back berth.

“I’m really pleased,” said Karanka. “It’s a position where we’ve been working towards bringing the right player in. We haven’t been in a hurry because Calum was the player we were waiting for, and he’s going to help us a lot.

“I’d like to say thank you to him because we know he had another offer, but he wanted to come here. That’s important, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

Chambers’ arrival has coincided with the departure of young defender Adam Jackson, with the 22-year-old having signed a three-year deal at Championship club Barnsley. Boro have also sold right-back Bradley Halliday to Cambridge.

Traore’s signing should complete Boro’s incoming transfer business, with the youngster effectively replacing Adomah, who is expected to join Villa.

Adomah, who was left out of Boro’s 18-man squad for Sunday’s goalless draw at West Brom, is due to travel to Villa’s training ground tomorrow, even though Robert di Matteo’s side splashed out around £15m earlier today to sign former Bristol City forward Jonathan Kodjia.

Adomah, who clashed with Karanka in the Riverside dressing room at the start of last season, has entered the final year of his current deal on Teesside, and has rejected Boro’s offer of a new deal.

He was initially reluctant to drop back into the Championship, but Karanka has indicated he is unlikely to play much of a role with Boro this season, and he has been persuaded to hold personal discussions with Villa officials.

Rhodes is more likely to remain on Boro’s books tomorrow, even though he is yet to make a senior appearance this season.

Karanka’s relationship with Rhodes has been the subject of considerable debate ever since the striker arrived in a £13m move from Blackburn Rovers, with the Boro boss having pushed for the capture of Ross McCormack instead.

Rhodes was dropped for the decisive final game of last season, but Boro do not have an abundance of attacking options, and Karanka will not allow the Scotsman to leave unless he is able to make a signing of his own.

Rhodes and David Nugent are the only natural alternatives to Alvaro Negredo, although Cristhian Stuani could also play as a central striker if required.

Middlesbrough’s strong start to the season has ensured Karanka is not under pressure to make last-minute additions, and midfielder Adam Forshaw has been delighted with his side’s efforts in their first three matches.

“If you look at the three games, we’ve more than held our own,” said Forshaw, who has proved a capable midfield deputy for the injured Marten de Roon. “It’s been tough, and at times we’ve been penned in, but we’ve shown that we’ve definitely got the quality to cause problems to teams at this level.

“We’re unbeaten in three games and that’s important. It was obvious last year that we prided ourselves on our defensive qualities, and we looked like a solid unit again at the weekend (at West Brom).

“Maybe with a few more crosses or shots, we might have taken even more from the game, but there were definitely plenty of positives for us to take.

“We’ve played two away games and one at home, and we’re still unbeaten. We’re just trying to build confidence and show that we do belong in this league. We just need to keep chipping away and picking up points.”