How much Middlesbrough paid for Rav van den Berg - transfer fee will shock Boro supporters | OneFootball

The Middlesbrough defender Rav van den Berg is being chased by several clubs, and Boro could make a big profit on him, considering what they paid.

Middlesbrough supporters may be disappointed should talented young defender Rav van den Berg leave the club this summer, but his sale would represent incredible business for Boro.

After having finished a disappointing 10th in the Championship at the end of last season, Middlesbrough have had a busy summer, having already replaced Michael Carrick with Rob Edwards.

The Teessiders are also beginning to be linked with a host of potential transfer targets, with moves for Blackburn's Callum Brittain and Hull City's Alfie Jones seemingly being the most advanced at this stage.

Boro have a strong reputation for their transfer business, and in the Championship, clubs without the cushion of Premier League parachute payments need to be canny with their buying and selling.

So, given the amount of money that is being discussed surrounding their Dutch under-21 defender Rav van den Berg, it would appear that their business is working as well as ever, and it's now been revealed just how much he arrived at the Riverside Stadium for.

Middlesbrough's Rav van den Berg transfer fee revealed

Van den Berg came to Middlesbrough from the Dutch club PEC Zwolle in the summer of 2023, with Boro beating the likes of Dortmund, AC Milan, Juventus and Ajax to his signature.

He came through their academy system, and attracted the interest of both Ajax and PSV whilst making his debut at just 16 years of age.

The central defender went on to make a host of Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie appearances for them in two years before signing for Boro for an undisclosed fee, the day before his 19th birthday in 2023.

Van den Berg has continued to develop as a player since arriving at the Riverside Stadium, and it's expected that there will be multi-million-pound offers for him this summer.

Sky Sports have reported that Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen are interested in him, whilst Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace have been keeping a close eye on him too.

But the amount that Boro paid for him in the first place remained a secret. That was until Saturday, when it was confirmed by Sky Sports that they paid just €300,000 (£260,000) to acquire his services.

The Championship is a financially unequal division and big sales can be crucial

Some very large numbers have been thrown around when it comes to van den Berg's value, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting that Brentford are preparing a £15 million move for the defender.

Were the sale to go through at this value, it would represent almost a 58-fold return on what Middlesbrough paid for him in the first place.

Not only is this an extremely impressive bit of business in its own right, but for a club in Middlesbrough's current position, it could prove to be invaluable.

The Championship is an extremely unequal division, financially speaking, with the parachute payments received by a minority of clubs giving them a huge financial advantage over those who don't receive them.

Anything that can help to close that gap is always extremely welcome for clubs like Boro.

With financial rules limiting Championship clubs to losses of an average of £41.5 million over a three-year cycle, clubs have to buy and sell intelligently if they're to maximise their revenue.

With clubs who haven't been relegated from the Premier League within the last three years making around £11 million in prize money each year, to sell van den Berg for £15 million would be a significant boost of additional revenue on top of that.

It's a lot of money, even at this level of the game, and Middlesbrough will benefit from it, even though they'd be losing an excellent prospect in the process.