Appiah 'hijacked'
By Paul Fraser
ITALIAN giants Juventus are attempting to end Middlesbrough's hopes of landing Stephen Appiah by offloading him to Arsenal.
Boro have been in deep negotiations with Serie A champions since April in a bid to land the Ghanaian midfielder.
But the Teessiders' hopes of getting their man appear to be dwindling after Juve proved they are willing to offer Appiah in part-exchange to capture their own top targets.
The Bianconeri have been talking with Arsenal with a view to landing club skipper Patrick Vieira. Appiah, plus ?m, has been tabled but the Gunners are holding out for nearer ?5m cash.
Highbury boss Arsene Wenger has also told Juventus he is not interested in a player-plus-cash deal involving Appiah, although he could be ready to do business on a separate level.
Nevertheless, as Boro refuse to meet the ?m valuation of the African midfielder, Steve McClaren's hopes of signing Appiah are reducing by the day.
Even if Vieira does not move to Italy, Juventus are likely to use Appiah as bait to other clubs as they look for midfield reinforcements.
Boro are keen to take him on a season-long loan initially with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the campaign.
However, Juventus are only willing to do business for ?m knowing they do not have to sell, particularly if they fail to agree a multi-million pound deal for Vieira.
If Appiah does arrive in the North-East he will be battling with Doriva for a place in the Boro midfield after the Brazilian signed a new one-year contract extension.
The 33-year-old has been a valuable squad player to McClaren in the last two seasons after arriving from Celta Vigo.
Despite the short length of the deal, Doriva has revealed he never had any thoughts of leaving after the new deal was handed to him.
"The style of football is a little bit different in this country," he said. "We play direct football very quickly, but it is fantastic and I enjoy it a lot.
"I am very happy here and very happy to have my family with me, who are settled here as well. This is the first time I have lived in England and I like it a lot. I like the English people for a lot of things - for education, for being very, very friendly - I am very happy here."
Boro defender Matthew Bates has been replaced in the England Under-19 squad by club-mate David Wheater.
Bates had been called up to play for his country in the European Championships, which start next week, but has had to pull out with a hip injury.
The Stockton youngster's withdrawal has handed an opportunity to Wheater to stake a claim for a place in the starting line-up, with England's opening match against France scheduled for Monday.
Boro colleagues James Morrison, Tony McMahon and Andrew Taylor are also involved in the squad in Northern Ireland, ensuring the Teessiders have the biggest representation from any club.
