Boro in new Belgian target link

Gareth Southgate has reportedly set his sights on taking Standard Liege's teenage midfielder Axel Witsel to Middlesbrough in January.

The Boro boss is looking to bolster his midfield options and had been linked with a swoop for Liege's in-demand £8million-rated playmaker Steven Defour.

However, with the likes of Arsenal and Palermo also being linked to him, it seems that Southgate will cast his net elsewhere and 19-year-old Witsel is now being talked up as a possible target.

The Belgian youngster impressed greatly in Standard Liege's recent two-legged UEFA Cup victory over Everton and would cost half the amount of his club-mate Defour. Witsel would also fit in nicely with Southgate's ongoing quest to get Boro playing free-flowing, quick, attacking football.