Patrick Bamford completes permanent deal to Middlesbrough
Striker Patrick Bamford has completed his permanent deal to Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old from Norwell has penned a four-and-a-half year deal to return to Riverside Park from Chelsea.
He was recalled early from his loan spell at Burnley earlier this month, during which he made six substitute appearances.
Bamford had his most successful loan spell at Middlesbrough in the 2014-15 season.
A haul of 19 goals earned him the Championship Player of the Year accolade.
However, he wasn’t able to build on that success in three loan spells at Premier League sides Crystal Palace, Norwich City or Burnley.
Bamford had been at Chelsea for 4½ years, but never appeared for the first team.
The former England Under-21 international becomes manager Aitor Karanka’s second January acquisition at Middlesbrough, following the arrival of Rudy Gestede in the first week of January.