The agent of Fabio Rochemback insists he has not given up hope
of securing his client a move back to Sporting Lisbon, although
Middlesbrough insist there is no chance of the midfielder being
allowed to leave The Riverside on loan.
Rochemback has featured only sporadically under Boro boss Gareth
Southgate this term and has made clear his desire to secure a
switch to Sporting.
Southgate stated on Thursday that he would be happy for the player
to remain on Teesside, but the Brazilian and his agent Horacio
Gaggioli appear determined to engineer a move back to
Portugal.
"Still Fabio would like to return to Sporting and we will continue
negotiating to find a solution," Gaggioli explained.
"That could take one day or one week because in the world of
football things change daily.
"The idea of Fabio is to search for an agreement and I believe that
the doors are not totally shut."
However, Boro remain adamant that the one-time Barcelona man will
not depart the club unless Sporting submit a permanent offer that
satisfies their demands.
The Portuguese club seem reluctant to consent with a loan switch
their preferred option, but Boro chief executive Keith Lamb is
insistent that alternative is a non-starter.
"A loan deal is impossible now," Lamb told O Jogo. "If Sporting
Lisbon want the player they need to present a concrete offer and we
will study it. But there won't be a loan."