Middlesbrough have beaten Leeds United to the signing of Norwich midfielder Jonny Howson with the fee expected to be finalised at £4.5million, according to Team Talk.
The football site claim that the Elland Road academy product will become the first major signing this summer of new Boro manager Garry Monk.
Team Talk report that Howson is poised to sign for the Championship club despite interest from Leeds, where he graduated from the youth ranks to become club captain and a huge fans favourite.
It is said that Norwich are reluctant to offload Howson, 29, but he snubbed their offer of a new contract to replace his existing deal, which expires in 2019, and cash is needed to fund new signings.
Boro manager Monk has targeted the central midfielder due to his track record in the Championship and his excellent goalscoring record from a deep-lying position.
Howson emerged from the Leeds ranks to make 219 appearances before he quit in 2012 for Norwich, where he has been an influential player with 23 goals from midfield in 188 games.
His 2016-17 statistics at Carrow Road are also impressive, with 38 league matches yielding six goals and providing eight assists.
Monk, who resigned as Leeds manager in May before taking over at Boro two weeks later, has also been strongly linked with two players who starred for the Yorkshire giants under his command last season, goalkeeper Rob Green and centre-back Kyle Bartley.