Middlesbrough sign Man Utd's Radek Vitek in record £14m deal for Championship keeper

Middlesbrough have officially completed the transfer of Vitek from United for a Championship record fee of £14m for a goalkeeper. The deal also includes a 35 per cent sell-on clause for United, matching rights, and a buy-back option. Vitek opted for a permanent move after spending the last two-and-a-half seasons on loan in search of regular first-team football.

Boro secured the goalkeeper's signature following an impressive loan spell at Bristol City last season, where he registered 134 saves and prevented 8.7 expected goals on target.

Regarding his move to the Riverside Stadium, Vitek told the club's official website: "It feels great to be here. This is a new challenge for me, and I'm really excited to be a Boro player. The project here is very impressive, because you can clearly see the ambition and where the club wants to go. I'm delighted to now be part of that."

Vitek's arrival further strengthens Kim Hellberg's squad as they navigate the relentless demands of the Championship this season. The Czech shot-stopper becomes Boro's seventh signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrivals of Jeremy Sarmiento, Myles Peart-Harris, Kyle Joseph, Will Lankshear, Sebastian Berhalter, and Max Arfsten. The club hierarchy hope this extensive squad overhaul will propel the team into promotion contention.

Middlesbrough kicked off their domestic campaign on a positive note with a 1-0 victory over Wrexham in the EFL Cup first round, courtesy of Lankshear's solitary strike. Vitek's arrival is expected to immediately raise the quality between the posts as Boro prepare for a demanding Championship schedule. Hellberg's main task now centres on integrating these new additions to maintain consistent form in their push for Premier League promotion.