Bristol City on the verge of securing Middlesbrough transfer agreement for Neto Borges | OneFootball

Bristol City are set to complete the signing of Neto Borges on loan from Middlesbrough for the rest of the season.

Middlesbrough defender Neto Borges is set to join fellow Championship side Bristol City on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

The 28-year-old left-sided defender only joined Boro from French outfit Clermont Foot last year, and he made 35 appearances during his first campaign at the Riverside Stadium.

However, the change in management at Boro hasn’t really helped Borges, as he has struggled to get in the starting 11 since Rob Edwards arrived.

Bristol City set to sign Middlesbrough’s Neto Borges on loan deal

Therefore, a move was always a possibility ahead of Monday’s 7pm deadline, and it appears Borges is on his way to link up with the Robins and their new manager Gerhard Struber.

That’s after BristolLive journalist Dan Carter confirmed that Bristol City are now 'closing' in on the player, with the Brazilian now set to strengthen Struber’s defensive options.

The new boss has enjoyed a positive start to life at Ashton Gate, picking up eight points from his first four games, with the side yet to taste defeat in Championship action - a solid comeback to domestic football after a harrowing two-legged drubbing at the hands of Sheffield United in the play-off semi-finals last season.

Neto Borges is a sensible addition for Bristol City

Borges has been a decent signing for Boro, without ever looking like he will be a standout performer at Championship level.

But, from Bristol City’s perspective, this looks like a sensible, low-risk move considering they are only bringing him on loan.

Struber will be getting a player who is comfortable playing as a left-back, at wing-back, or on the left side of the back three, so he can cover a few positions, and he will have benefited from his first year in English football with Boro last season.

With doubts over the future of Zak Vyner, who has been the subject of two bids from Wrexham, Bristol City may need to add defensive reinforcements, even if they will be determined to keep the player, who has played in every game so far under the new boss.

Some may feel that Boro should have kept Borges around for that reason, and it’s worth noting that he has come on as a late substitute in three league games this season to help the team see out victories, so he has had a role to play, even if it was minimal.