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Stewart Downing is on the verge of joining Tony Mowbray at Blackburn Rovers.

The former England winger is understood to have agreed to join the former Boro boss Tony at Ewood Park after a second bout of talks this week.

Downing, who turns 35 next month, has opted for the Championship club over approaches from Glasgow Rangers, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and interest from the United States.

The Pallister Park-raised wideman will be a free agent when his current Boro deal runs out next week.

The winger, who played over 400 times for Boro and earned 35 international caps, is desperate to play on.

Downing was a regular in the Boro team last season and often praised by then boss Tony Pulis for his fitness, work-rate and football intelligence - qualities Mowbray is eager to harness.

(Image: Simon Moore/Focus Images Ltd)

Mowbray admitted last week that he had held talks with the veteran flanker who he wants to add quality and experience to his Rovers mix.

“I have spoken to people this week, I have met them and their representatives and then they will go away and make some calls,” he said..

“If Stewart Downing wants to come to Blackburn Rovers then I think he’s a very talented footballer.

“I know him from my ties with Middlesbrough Football Club over a number of years and he has decisions to make. He has options.”

Mowbray didn’t want to rush Downing and accepted that players have tricky choices to make.

“My personality isn’t to beat him with a stick and say ‘if we don’t know by Friday then forget it you’re not coming,” he said patiently.

“Footballers have to make the right decision and if they are to come to your football club they need to weigh things up, decide what’s right for them, feel the positives or negatives about what the managers have spoken about and then make the decisions.”

Downing had been hoping to win a one-year extension at Boro but there was a tense mid-season stand-off over a clause in his contract.

The Teessider was dumped on the bench because one more start would have triggered a further 12 months.

He eventually signed a waiver to cancel that clause and was again available to start games.

Boro announced earlier this month that he would not be offered a new deal.