Middlesbrough have completed the transfer of Stephen McManus from Celtic in a deal though to be worth £1.5 million. In a statement released by the club, Middlesbrough confirmed that the former Celtic captain has put pen to paper on a three-year contract.

“Boro have confirmed the signing of former Celtic captain Stephen McManus after agreeing terms with the player and the Glasgow club,” the statement read.

“The 27-year-old central defender has signed a three-year contract after successfully passing a Boro medical on Monday.

“Despite suggestions from outside the club that a deal had been completed earlier in the day, the transfer was in fact completed shortly after 5pm on Tuesday.”

The move comes as no surprise as McManus was expected to join up with former manager Gordon Strachan on a permanent basis after spending the second half of last season on loan in the north east. Strachan had said on Monday that discussions were “moving down the line”.

The 27-year old Scotland international had expressed an intent to stay on at Boro, cancelling a family holiday to travel on an end of season trip with the club. His failure to report back to parent club Celtic for pre-season training had made it clear that an agreement to move to the English Championship was imminent.

McManus becomes the seventh player Gordon Strachan has signed from the Scottish leagues since he took over at the Riverside. Fellow ex-Celtic players Barry Robson, Willo Flood, Chris Killen and Scott McDonald are all on the books at Boro, as are Lee Miller, Andrew Halliday and Kris Boyd.

McManus was a product of the youth system at Celtic and, after making his debut back in 2004, went on to make over 200 appearances for the club. Following the departure of Neil Lennon, he was made club captain in 2007. McManus won three SPL titles, two Scottish Cup and two League Cup titles in his time in Glasgow.

Middlesbrough are also thought to be pursuing Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson, with unconfirmed reports claiming a £2 million fee has been agreed with the Ibrox club.

Boro sacked Gareth Southgate in October last year with the club fourth in the Championship, a position which had they maintained would have landed them a place in the play-offs. Former Celtic boss Strachan was named as his replacement and has radically changed the club’s squad to ensure that promotion back to the English Premier League is secured next season.

Celtic have already added to their defence in the close season, but only in the full-back positions. Cha Du-Ri and Charlie Mulgrew will compete for a place in the back line under Neil Lennon and the new Celtic boss is hoping that Sol Campbell will agree to move to Parkhead to add experience in the centre of defence.