Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace are set to battle for the signature of Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede in January, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Boro manager Aitor Karanka is keen to strengthen his offensive options when the transfer window opens to ease the goalscoring burden on Alvaro Negredo to boost their chances of survival for the second half of the season.
However, the newly promoted Premier League side will face competition for Gestede’s services from fellow relegation strugglers Palace, who also want to provide help for Christian Benteke.
Gestede made his Premier League debut for Villa last season but underwhelmed, only managing five goals in 32 league appearances. The 28-year-old has already managing four goals in the Championship this season.
The potential sale of Gestede could leave Villa short of options in attack in the New Year, with Jonathan Kodjia and Jordan Ayew set to feature in the Africa Cup of Nations at the start of next year.
In the last four Championship campaigns Gestede has scored more headed goals than any other player (20).
For more stats on Rudy Gestede, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
