Midddlesbrough FC news: Former midfielder opens up on ‘very bizarre’ move to the Riverside

De Roon spent one season in England after signing for Boro following their promotion to the Premier League.

After several bids, the Dutchman eventually cost the Teessiders a reported £12million, even though he’d played just one season for Italian top-flight side Atalanta.

And even de Roon, who rejoined Atalanta for a similar fee in 2017, says he was surprised by Boro’s offer.

“It was strange to suddenly be worth €15million,” de Roon told Dutch magazine Voetbal International

“I had a good year here at Atalanta and I know that the technical director of Middlesbrough was very fond of me then.”

“When €15million was offered, it was very bizarre. I remember that the first bid came in, there were €6million or €8million bids, and I said: Impossible not to accept that. That bid was then rejected. I thought then: Hey, where does this come from?”

De Roon, whose gone on to play in the Champions League and become a regular for his national team since leaving Boro, also believes transfer fees are becoming ‘crazy.’

“The football has also become a bit like that, especially in England where the amounts are crazy. Perhaps it makes sense to pay €100million for a player, and then so to pay €15million for a lesser player.

“For me, Atalanta would ask for an extra €5-10million at the moment, if they wanted to sell me.”