Middlesbrough have agreed a deal to sign Columbus Crew and U.S. international midfielder Aidan Morris, sources briefed on the deal have told The Athletic.
The agreed fee is in the region of $4million (£3.14m) and includes a sell-on clause, sources add. Morris has had a long-term goal of playing in Europe.
The 22-year-old departed the Under-23 national team camp to travel to England to wrap up final details but the deal will not be signed until Morris plays his last game for the Crew, sources say. A departure date has not been set yet, but Morris is expected to play again for Columbus before he joins Boro in what would serve as a goodbye match for the player and the fans.
Morris has already won two MLS Cups with the Crew and made more than 102 first-team appearances, despite missing all of the 2021 season due to injury. The box-to-box midfielder has been a constant over the past two and a half seasons.
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Columbus are kicking off a busy summer under new general manager Issa Tall. Interest and talks for Morris have been in the works for a while, predating Tall getting the top job when Tim Bezbatchenko departed last week.
The club already signed French midfielder Dylan Chambost, The Athletic reported on Monday and Columbus announced Tuesday.
Morris is currently with the Under-23 side as the group prepares for the Olympics this summer but he does have five caps for the senior team. He is expected to be a key starter in that group — so long as Boro release him to play in this summer’s tournament in Paris. Clubs can block their players featuring at the men’s Olympics as the competition does not fall in an official FIFA window.
Boro finished eighth in the Championship last season, narrowly missing out on the promotion play-offs under former Manchester United manager Michael Carrick.
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