Middlesbrough: Aidan Morris update emerges as £3.1m switch beckons | OneFootball

Boro agreed a deal for the USA international almost two weeks ago, and have been waiting for him to finish saying his farewells.

Highlights

Aidan Morris will play one final game for Columbus Crew this weekend before completing his Middlesbrough move, per Tom Bogert.

Boro reportedly agreed a deal for the central midfielder on 11 June, but have allowed Morris to go on somewhat of a goodbye tour for the Columbus Crew supporters.

The 22-year-old will become Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick's third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Luke Ayling and Delano Burgzorg on permanent deals.

Morris to say his goodbyes

The Athletic journalist Tom Bogertrevealed late on Thursday evening that Boro's latest American recruit is expected to play his final game for Columbus Crew this weekend.

The Crew are playing a home match against Sporting Kansas City in the early hours of Saturday night/Sunday morning UK time, in what will act as his Columbus Crew swansong.

Bogert reports that Middlesbrough will pay a $4m (£3.1m) fee for the USA international, in what will be Boro's latest American addition to the squad, following previous signings such as Zack Steffen and current Boro forward Matthew Hoppe.

This weekend's game will be Morris' third game for The Crew since the news of a deal being agreed broke, and he showed a glimpse of what he can bring to Carrick's squad against Inter Miami this week.

Morris provided a deft cross into the box for Cucho Hernandez to latch onto, and dispatch for a Crew's only goal in the match, which ended in a 2-1 defeat.

A product of the Columbus Crew academy system, the box-to-box midfielder broke into the first team back in 2020, but has developed into a star player for the MLS side since 2022.

The Athletic revealed that it has been a long-term ambition of Morris' to play in Europe, and has already travelled to England to iron out the details of the move to Teesside.

He is also set to play a part for Team USA in the Paris Olympics this summer, should Middlesbrough grant him permission to do so.

But after over a week of waiting for news of when Morris will become a Boro player, fans can now begin to get excited as he looks set to be officially announced some time next week.

Could be one in, one out

Whilst one midfielder is about to embark on his Middlesbrough career, another could be set to disembark.

Reports from Turkish news outlet 61 Saat are reporting that Super Lig side Trabzonspor have made contact with both Dan Barlaser and Middlesbrough, over a potential move for the former Rotherham United man.

Barlaser, 27, only signed for the club in January 2023, and did develop into an important player for Carrick last season, as local star Hayden Hackney missed a large chunk of the season through injury.

Teesside Live have confirmed those reports from Turkey, and have revealed that the two clubs are in negotiations over the possibility of striking a deal to sell Barlaser.

The Boro midfielder qualifies to play for Turkey through his father, and has represented the Turkish national team at U16 and U17 level in the past.

A changing of the guard could well be about to take place in Middlesbrough's midfield, as Morris appears to be the player Boro have identified as Jonny Howson's long-term successor, whilst highly-rated youngster Law McCabe looks set to become a first team regular next season.

As such, Barlaser's place in the squad appears to be under threat, and for a player who will no doubt be expecting to play regular minutes, a move away could well be one that Barlaser welcomes this summer.