Middlesbrough Secure Late Hijack for Brighton's £3.5m Winger Sarmiento
In a dramatic twist to the January transfer window, Middlesbrough have reportedly verbally agreed a fee in the region of £3.5 million to sign Brighton & Hove Albion winger Jeremy Sarmiento, snatching the player from under the nose of Championship rivals Birmingham City. The Teesside club are now poised to complete a permanent deal for the 24-year-old Ecuador international, who has turned down a move to St Andrew's in favour of the Riverside Stadium.
Birmingham's Transfer Disappointment as Boro Pounce
Birmingham City had been working diligently to secure Sarmiento's signature and appeared close to finalising an agreement, having already brought in four January targets under manager Chris Davies. The Blues had moved on from other potential signings to focus on landing the Brighton gem, making this late intervention by Middlesbrough a significant blow to their recruitment plans. Kim Mellberg's side, who had previously withdrawn from the race, re-entered negotiations at the eleventh hour to orchestrate this ambitious hijack.
Sarmiento was meant to become the fourth signing from Brighton by Birmingham this season alone, following James Beadle, Eiran Cashin, and loanee Ibrahim Osman. Instead, he is now set to undergo medical tests with Middlesbrough later this week, with personal terms already agreed. Birmingham are likely to swiftly refocus their attention on alternative targets ahead of the fast-approaching February 2 deadline.
How Sarmiento Fits into the Middlesbrough Setup
Jeremy Sarmiento brings valuable Championship experience to the Riverside, having previously featured for West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, and Burnley. The versatile attacker is capable of operating on either wing or in an advanced midfield role, offering Manager Mellberg additional options in the final third. However, he may require a period to build match sharpness, having managed just 137 minutes of football during his loan spell at Italian Serie A side Cremonese this campaign.
At Brighton, Sarmiento made 21 senior appearances but never cemented a regular starting berth, with the Premier League club always open to a sale. Middlesbrough can offer the promise of more consistent game time once the player is fully acclimatised, though he will face competition from existing wide options like Morgan Whittaker, Delano Burgzorg, and Sam Silvera. His arrival adds further depth and quality as Boro aim to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season.
