Although the summer transfer market in England has ended, Middlesbrough is ready to lose another player.

The transfer window closed at 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, and Middlesbrough was one of the busiest clubs in the Championship, making a number of high-profile arrivals.

Middlesbrough make an unexpected exit call for Morgan Whittaker following summer revamp.

Middlesbrough were reinstated to the play-off final following Southampton’s expulsion, but were defeated 1-0 by Hull City, with Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time winner securing the Tigers’ return to the Premier League.

However, it appears that Boro’s Wembley disappointment has served as motivation for owner Steve Gibson, who has backed head coach Kim Hellberg with a slew of big-money signings, including Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Rokas Pukstas, Kyle Joseph, and Will Lankshear.

Borough have also signed Sam Byram, Connor Barron, Myles Peart-Harris, and Amario Cozier-Duberry to add depth and quality to the squad, and the exciting summer transfer activity has led many to believe Hellberg’s side will be one of the Championship’s promotion contenders this season.

Boro’s summer transfer activity was not entirely good, with homegrown defender Dael Fry joining Championship rivals Birmingham City and another academy product, midfielder Hayden Hackney, joining Everton for an initial fee of £16.5 million plus £8 million in add-ons.

Borough also traded out-of-favoured duo Abdoulaye Kante and Kaly Sene to Al-Ettifaq and Young Boys, respectively, while teenager Archie Baptiste left for National League side Harrogate Town, but it appeared that they had avoided any additional major losses.

However, on the final day of the transfer window, reports surfaced of Morgan Whittaker’s likely leave, with MLS side Colorado Rapids apparently closing in on a deal for the forward.

Kim Hellberg breaks silence on Morgan Whittaker’s departure talk as Colorado Rapids circle

Whittaker joined Middlesbrough from Plymouth Argyle in January 2025 for a sum of £5 million with £2.5 million in add-ons, and his time at the Riverside Stadium has been anything from smooth.

The 25-year-old originally struggled to win over Borough fans upon his debut, but he settled in on Teesside last season, scoring 14 goals and providing seven assists in 45 games across all competitions, ending as the club’s top scorer.

With that in mind, it’s surprising that Borough are willing to permit the departure of one of their primary attacking threats, but Whittaker appears to be on his way to the Colorado Rapids, who are expected to pay a club-record $10.7 million (£7.9 million) for his talents.

Whittaker was left out of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Burnley as he finalises his move to Colorado, and Hellberg conceded that losing the attacker would be “tough” since he is a “very good footballer” and a “good person”.

Given that the MLS is frequently a destination for players in the latter stages of their careers, Whittaker’s willingness to go to the United States during his peak years has raised some eyebrows, but it appears he will play an important role for his new club.

Colorado Rapids transfer development offers a significant Morgan Whittaker clue.

The Colorado Rapids are currently seventh in the Western Conference table, which means they are on track to qualify for round one of the MLS Cup play-offs, but they are one of the division’s smaller clubs when compared to Inter Miami, LA Galaxy, LAFC, and Seattle Sounders.

Whittaker had been linked with Championship title contenders West Ham United earlier this summer, so his surprise move to the MLS is certainly surprising given the level of some of his other suitors.

However, Colorado recently sold forward Rafael Navarro to St. Louis City for a reported fee of $12 million, the largest cash-for-player trade in MLS history, and they appear to be spending the majority of the proceeds on Whittaker, which is a strong vote of confidence in the departing Middlesbrough player.

Navarro produced 44 goals and 16 assists in 114 games for Colorado, 11 of which came this season, and while Whittaker is not a direct replacement for the Brazilian, he will be expected to provide some of the creative spark that has been missing.

Whittaker, who was never truly acknowledged at the Riverside Stadium, may love the opportunity to be the main man at Colorado, but there is no guaranty he will be successful in the MLS, as his former Borough teammate Emmanuel Latte Lath can attest.

Latte Lath left Borough for Atlanta United in January 2025 for a cost of £22.5 million, although despite being productive in the Championship, he only scored 11 goals in 48 games for the MLS club before being loaned to Bundesliga side Union Berlin this summer.

Whittaker, on the other hand, will be confident that he will fare far better in the United States than Latte Lath, and Borough will be praying that they do not live to regret their decision to let him go.