Stoke City are hopeful Dave Kitson's loan move to Middlesbrough will be turned into a permanent deal.
The Sentinel says the 29-year-old striker was expected to start his loan spell on Teesside today following agreement between both clubs.
And Stoke are hoping it proves a permanent parting of the ways if Kitson can impress sufficiently to earn a long-term move to the Riverside in the January transfer window.
Kitson has already tried once and failed to end his nightmare stay at Stoke following an unsuccessful loan move to former club Reading during the latter third of last season.
But a quick return to the kind of scoring form largely eluding him at Stoke could persuade Gordon Strachan to make Kitson one of his first long-term signings as Middlesbrough manager.