Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has confirmed star playmaker Gaston Ramirez has handed in a transfer request in a bid to force a move through to reigning Premier League champions Leicester.
The Foxes have been heavily linked with a move for Ramirez this month as Claudio Ranieri looks to freshen up his creative options to avoid a humiliating relegation following their shock title win.
Ramirez, 26, has spent the last 12 months with Middlesbrough kick starting his career following a failed stint at Southampton and Karanka has confirmed reports suggesting the Uruguay international had requested to leave the club.
“It’s frustrating as a coach and a parson,” The Daily Mirror quote Karanka as saying when asked whether Ramirez had handed in a transfer request. “He was calling us to play here last season, he got back to his best here, he got back in the national team.
“As a professional I have to deal with it because nobody is bigger than the team. At the end, if we don’t receive the right offer, he will be an important player.”
In a Middlesbrough side that has scored fewer goals than any other Premier League outfit, Ramirez’s creativity in the final third is integral to their chances of beating the drop.
Ramirez has created more chances than any other Boro player in the Premier League this season (24).
For more stats on Gaston Ramirez, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
