Defender paid €50,000 of his own money to force through Middlesbrough exit - reports

The Brazilian completed a move to Nantes earlier this summer, bringing to an end his two-year spell at the Riverside Stadium.

Despite having penned a one-year contract extension with Boro, Fabio was always expected to leave the club this summer having struggled for regular starts under Pulis.

MORE: Here's 11 loan players that Middlesbrough could signBut despite the transfer seeming fairly straight-forward, fresh reports suggest that the deal hit a snag - until Fabio stumped up his own cash to rectify things.

Reports from L'Equipe in France suggest that negotiations between Middlesbrough and Nantes looked to have hit a stumbling block over solidarity payments - the fees payable to the club which developed the player in question.

Both sides were unwilling to pay the amount themselves and the disagreement threatened to put the brakes on the deal.

READ: Middlesbrough facing five-way battle to land Liverpool manThat was until Fabio volunteered to pay the amount - believed to be around €50,000 - himself, in order to force through the deal.

Such news was met with delight by the Nantes president and ensured that the 28-year-old got off to a positive start at his new club.