By Betting Zone
August 14 2006

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is waiting for a response on bids made for Manchester City defender Sylvain Distin and Blackburn winger Brett Emerton.


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Southgate has only brought Julio Arca from Sunderland to the Riverside since taking over from Steve McClaren this summer and is keen to bolster his squad further.

Distin, the 28-year-old French centre-back, was among the squad to travel to China for a pre-season tour with City, and the club revealed their intention to keep him at Eastlands.

Boro and Portsmouth have been linked with a move for the defender, with a report on the official Boro website confirming a bid by Southgate.

Southgate said after the goalless draw with Chievo at the weekend: "We're very close with a couple. Hopefully once we get past the weekend we should have some news. We've got bids in and it's just a case of waiting to hear back from the clubs."

Emerton, 27, played for Australia at the World Cup in Germany during the summer after his third season at Ewood Park.

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