Middlesbrough star set for MLS club record move as Brighton forward closes on Boro switch
The latest transfer talk from Middlesbrough as the summer transfer window enters its final hours.
Middlesbrough forward Morgan Whittaker is set to undergo a medical before completing a move to MLS club Colorado Rapids.
The former Plymouth Argyle winger joined Boro in a reported £7m deal in January last year and has gone on to score 14 goals and provide nine assists in 66 appearances in all competitions during his time at the Riverside Stadium. However, he now looks set to make a move Stateside after The Athletic revealed the Rapids had submitted a club record bid for the 25-year-old.
Although clubs across the Premier League and EFL have until 11pm on Tuesday night to finalise any last-minute deals, the Rapids do have some additional time to tie up their agreement for Whittaker as the summer transfer window remains open for MLS clubs until Wednesday night. If and when the deal goes through, Whittaker will join the likes of one-time Middlesbrough loan signing Zack Steffen and former Arsenal defender Rob Holding in a Rapids squad that are currently sitting in seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference table.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports have claimed Middlesbrough could look to replace Whittaker with the loan signing of Brighton and Hove Albion’s Amario Cozier-Duberry. The 21-year-old forward failed to make a first-team debut during his time with Arsenal and has made just a solitary senior appearance since joining Brighton during the summer of 2024. However, Cozier-Duberry has made a combined 64 appearances during loan stints with Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers in recent seasons. He is now said to be nearing a loan move to the Riverside Stadium after talks between the two clubs in recent days.
Young defender arrives
There was one arrival at Middlesbrough on deadline day after they confirmed the signing of Southampton’s teenage defender Abdul Okunola. The 19-year-old started his career with Premier League club Chelsea but joined the Saints during the summer of 2023 before penning his first professional contract last summer. The youngster joined Boro over the weekend and made his debut for Mark Tinkler’s Under-21s side in their 3-1 defeat at Premier League 2 rivals Bournemouth on Monday night.
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