Karanka confirms interest in PSG winger Rodriguez
(Reuters) - Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka said he is trying to persuade winger Jese Rodriguez to join the Premier League club after the terms of a loan deal was agreed with Paris St Germain.
The 23-year-old Rodriguez, who joined PSG from Real Madrid in August, has struggled to make his mark for the French champions and has fallen further down the pecking order following Julian Draxler's recent arrival from Wolfsburg.
"He's a player I have known for the last seven or eight years. I know his potential. He can bring us a lot of things so we are trying to convince him," Karanka told reporters on Thursday.
"For him it's a really important move. The last 5 or 6 months have been difficult for him. He couldn't settle in the way he wanted. He knows this step is really important so he has to be sure."
Karanka also confirmed midfielder Gaston Ramirez has handed in a transfer request amid reported interest from champions Leicester City.
"It's frustrating. He was calling us to play here last season, he got back to his best here, he got back in the national team," Karanka added.
"It's frustrating as a coach and a person. As a professional I have to deal with it. Nobody is bigger than the team. At the end, if we don't receive the right offer, he will be an important player."
Burnley have had an 10 million pounds ($12.57 million) offer accepted by Hull City for Robert Snodgrass, according to British media reports, but Karanka is refusing to give up on chase for the midfielder.
"He's (Snodgrass) a player I like. The club is working on offers with Hull. I think they rejected an offer from us but the club is working. He's a player who we want to bring here," he said.
Middlesbrough host fourth tier side Accrington Stanley in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
($1 = 0.7957 pounds)
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)