The two clubs agreed a fee between £6m and £7m, BBC Tees Sport understands.

Benin international Gestede joined Villa from Blackburn in July 2015 and has scored 10 goals in 55 appearances.

But the 28-year-old has started only three games since Steve Bruce took over at the Championship club in October and was left out of Villa's squad for Monday's 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City.

Gestede scored five goals as Villa were relegated from the top flight last season, having also had a brief spell in the Premier League with Cardiff in 2013-14.

Middlesbrough are currently 16th in the Premier League, four points above the relegation zone, and are the joint-lowest scorers this season - along with bottom side Hull - with 17 goals in 20 games.