Middlesbrough are closing in on the signing of Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek, according to Alex Crook.
Middlesbrough are stepping up their activity in the transfer market as they aim to bounce back from Championship play-off disappointment. Boro have made some huge additions with Max Arfsten the latest to join the club.
A new goalkeeper looks to be close now for Kim Hellberg with Radek Vitek close to joining, according to Alex Crook. The Manchester United man excelled for Bristol City in the Championship last season while on loan.
Vitek has been linked with a host of clubs this summer, including Celtic. He has been one of the most in-demand goalkeepers on the market in this window and Boro appear to have won the race.
The 22-year-old will be Middlesbrough’s 7th signing of the summer. Vitek’s addition brings to an end Boro’s long-term search for a new starting goalkeeper.
The perfect move for all parties
Sol Brynn enjoyed an impressive campaign for Middlesbrough last season, keeping 13 clean sheets in the Championship to rank third among the division’s goalkeepers.
Only Carl Rushworth and Christian Walton recorded more shutouts, with 17 and 16 respectively, as both played key roles in guiding their sides to automatic promotion.
Those numbers highlight just how valuable a dependable goalkeeper can be over the course of a Championship season. Middlesbrough narrowly missed out on the top two, and improving between the posts was always going to be a key area of focus for head coach Hellberg as he looks to build a genuine promotion-winning side.
Vitek was always the standout option and Boro have made their move. His quality and potential could provide the marginal gains needed to turn a play-off contender into an automatic promotion team.
The Verdict: Middlesbrough have used the Hackney funds perfectly after Vitek addition
The sale of Hayden Hackney, combined with the windfall from the sell-on clause triggered by Morgan Rogers’ move to Chelsea, has given Middlesbrough a healthy transfer budget this summer.
Signing Vitek would represent another significant investment, but one with the potential to pay dividends for years to come. He joins the likes of Arfsten, Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear as big signings.
All of those additions strengthen the Boro squad but also have a lot of room to improve in the future. Middlesbrough could at the very least make a profit on all of those additions, and likely the slightly more experienced Sebastian Berhalter too.
Despite losing a big player in Hackney, Hellberg appears to have a much stronger squad on his hands this season. Even with a month still remaining in the window, Middlesbrough look like a force ahead of this upcoming season and will be challenging for automatic promotion once again.
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