The $12 million decision that explains Morgan Whittaker's Middlesbrough exit | OneFootball

Morgan Whittaker is set to depart Middlesbrough for Colorado Rapids, and it seems he could be set to become a key figure for the MLS side.

The summer transfer window in England may now be closed, but there is set to be one further departure from Middlesbrough.

The transfer window slammed shut at 11pm on Tuesday night, and Middlesbrough were one of the busiest clubs in the Championship, with the Teesside outfit making a host of high-profile additions.

Middlesbrough make surprise Morgan Whittaker exit call after summer overhaul

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After being reinstated to the play-off final following Southampton's expulsion, Middlesbrough missed out on promotion in agonising fashion as they were beaten 1-0 by Hull City, with Oli McBurnie's stoppage-time winner sealing the Tigers' return to the Premier League.

However, it seems Boro's Wembley heartbreak has served as motivation to owner Steve Gibson, who has backed head coach Kim Hellberg with a number of big-money signings, including the likes of Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Rokas Pukstas, Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear.

Boro have also brought in the likes of Sam Byram, Connor Barron, Myles Peart-Harris and Amario Cozier-Duberry to add more depth and quality to the squad, and the exciting summer transfer activity has led many to tip Hellberg's men to be one of the promotion favourites in the Championship this season.

It was not all positive for Boro on the transfer front this summer, with homegrown defender Dael Fry joining Championship rivals Birmingham City, while another academy product, midfielder Hayden Hackney, made the move to Everton for an initial fee of £16.5 million, plus £8 million in add-ons.

Boro also sold out-of-favour duo Abdoulaye Kante and Kaly Sene to Al-Ettifaq and Young Boys respectively, while youngster Archie Baptiste departed for National League side Harrogate Town, but it looked as though they had avoided any further major departures.

However, that changed on the final day of the transfer window when reports emerged about a potential exit for Morgan Whittaker, with MLS side Colorado Rapids reportedly closing in on a deal for the forward.

Kim Hellberg breaks silence on Morgan Whittaker exit talk as Colorado Rapids circle

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Whittaker joined Middlesbrough from Plymouth Argyle in January 2025 for a fee of £5 million, plus £2.5m in add-ons, and it is fair to say he has had something of a turbulent spell at the Riverside Stadium.

The 25-year-old initially struggled to win over Boro supporters following his arrival, but he found his feet on Teesside last season as he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, finishing as the club's top scorer.

With that in mind, it is something of a surprise that Boro are prepared to sanction the departure of one of their main attacking threats, but it seems Whittaker is on the verge of joining Colorado Rapids, who are set to pay a club-record fee of $10.7 million (£7.9 million) for his services.

Whittaker was not included in the squad for Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Burnley as he finalises his move to Colorado, and Hellberg admitted that losing the forward would be "tough" as he is a "very good footballer" and a "good person".

Given that the MLS is often a destination for players in the latter part of their career, the fact that Whittaker is willing to make the move to the United States during his peak years has also raised a few eyebrows, but it seems he could have a big role to play for his new club.

Colorado Rapids transfer development offers big Morgan Whittaker hint

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Colorado Rapids currently sit seventh in the Western Conference table, meaning that they are on course to qualify for round one of the MLS Cup play-offs as things stand, but they are one of the smaller clubs in the division when compared with the likes of Inter Miami, LA Galaxy, LAFC and Seattle Sounders.

Whittaker had been linked with Championship title favourites West Ham United earlier in the summer, so his sudden move to the MLS is certainly unexpected given the calibre of some of his other suitors.

However, Colorado have just sold forward Rafael Navarro to St Louis City for a reported fee of $12 million, which is the largest cash-for-player trade in MLS history, and they appear to be spending the majority of the income from his sale on Whittaker, which is a big vote of confidence in the outgoing Middlesbrough man.

Navarro scored 44 goals and registered 16 assists in 114 games for Colorado, with 11 of those strikes coming this season, and while Whittaker is not a like-for-like replacement for the Brazilian, he will be tasked with providing some of the creative spark that has been lost.

Having never been fully appreciated during his time at the Riverside Stadium, Whittaker may relish the opportunity to become the main man at Colorado, but there is no guarantee he will be a success in the MLS, as his former Boro team-mate Emmanuel Latte Lath can testify.

Latte Lath departed Boro for Atlanta United in January 2025 for a fee of £22.5 million, but despite being prolific in the Championship, he scored just 11 goals in 48 games for the MLS side before being loaned out to Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin this summer.