Middlesbrough raid Villa to bring in Gestede

Middlesbrough have signed Rudy Gestede from Championship side Aston Villa.

The Benin striker has joined on a deal which ties him to the Riverside Stadium until June 2020.

Gestede moved to Villa from Blackburn Rovers in July 2015 and scored nine goals in 50 league appearances for the West Midlands club, who were relegated last season.

Middlesbrough, promoted as Championship runners-up in the same campaign, are four points above the Premier League’s bottom three after 20 games, having won just one of their last six matches.

Aitor Karanka’s men are level with bottom club Hull City for the lowest number of goals scored in the top flight this season, having found the net just 17 times. Five of those strikes have come from Alvaro Negredo.