Vitek leaves Manchester United for Middlesbrough
Radek Vitek is relishing the challenge of playing in the EFL Championship once again after a permanent switch to Middlesbrough from Manchester United was confirmed.
Vitek, who spent last year on loan with Bristol City, has agreed to join Middlesbrough in a deal reportedly worth up to £14 million ($26.7 million), a record fee for a goalkeeper in the Championship.
The transfer also reportedly includes a 35 per cent sell-on clause for United, matching rights and a buy-back option.
At the start of the off-season, Vitek made his intentions to go and find regular game time clear. He joined United as a teenager in 2020 but spent the past two-and-a-half seasons out on loan.
His most impressive spell away from the Red Devils came last term, as he helped Bristol City finish 12th in the second tier and kept 12 clean sheets in 41 league appearances.
"It feels great to be here [at Middlesbrough]," Vitek said. "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 becomes Middlesbrough's seventh signing of the current transfer window, joining Jeremy Sarmiento, Myles Peart-Harris, Kyle Joseph, Will Lankshear, Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten.
Vitek's arrival comes after Middlesbrough began its domestic campaign with a 1-0 win over Wrexham in the first round of the Carabao Cup, with Lankshear scoring the only goal at Riverside Stadium.
