Middlesbrough have no intention of allowing Spanish superstar Gaizka Mendieta to leave Teesside at the end of the season.
The 29-year-old, who arrived at Boro on loan in August, has a four-year permanent deal which will kick in at the end of the current campaign, and unlike fellow new arrival Danny Mills, who seems likely to return to Leeds in the summer, is here to stay.
"There is no danger whatsoever of Gaizka Mendieta leaving Middlesbrough in the summer," chief executive Keith Lamb told the Sunday Sun.
"He has a four-year contract that starts at the end of this season. We have him for five years, including the first year on loan, and that should be good news for our fans.
"I will not comment on either the Bodo Zenden or Danny Mills situation, but it is different for Mendieta."
