AFC Bournemouth have now completed all of the relevant documents needed to recruit Middlesbrough midfielder Marcus Tavernier, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 23-year-old was one of the first names on the teamsheet for Chris Wilder's side last term, becoming an integral part of the former Sheffield United manager's plans in the middle of the park alongside the likes of Matt Crooks and Jonny Howson.

However, he had been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time with Brighton, Burnley, Leeds United and Southampton all being revealed by TEAMtalk as potential destinations for the Englishman last year.

More recently though, Football League World reported that Bournemouth, Everton, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest were all interested in luring him away from the Riverside Stadium with Boro holding out for at least £10m.

According to Romano, they have managed to achieve their goal of generating an eight-figure fee for his services with a £12m fee being negotiated with Bournemouth, including add-ons.

He also added that all documentation has been completed and the Boro man will be unveiled as the Cherries' third summer signing during the early stages of next week - a real blow for many of the Teesside outfit's supporters who would have wanted to see him remain in North Yorkshire.

The Verdict:

£12m isn't exactly a bad deal and considering there were no guarantees that he was going to sign a new contract at the Riverside, they may have made the right decision to sell the 23-year-old with two years left on his current terms.

In fairness, his value could rise a bit if a deal falls through and he manages to shine for Boro during the early stages of this campaign, but they probably won't be able to get as much money this time next year if they were to keep hold of him and he refuses to sign an extension.

He was a very important part of their first-team squad though and this makes his imminent departure a real blow for them.

Ideally, they would have wanted him to leave during the early stages of the summer, enabling the side to adapt to life without him and allowing Wilder to both identify potential replacements and recruit one.

Riley McGree can step in and that's a boost for Wilder's side - but they deserve a replacement to come in and ideally need one if they are to have enough attacking firepower from midfield.