Colorado Rapids are in talks with Middlesbrough over a move for Morgan Whittaker that would set a club-record fee for the MLS side.
The reported deal would mark a major step for the Rapids and another new chapter for Whittaker, who has settled into a role as a winger or attacking midfielder at Middlesbrough. He joined the club in January 2025 after Middlesbrough signed him from Plymouth Argyle, and he helped them reach the Championship play-off final last season.
What the move would mean
If the transfer goes through, Whittaker would become the most expensive signing in Colorado Rapids history. That alone underlines the scale of the talks and the level of commitment the MLS club would be making for a 25-year-old attacker.
Whittaker has also previously been linked with West Ham United, but Colorado Rapids now appear to be the club pushing ahead. The potential move would take him to Major League Soccer after a career that has already included spells with Swansea City, Lincoln City, Plymouth Argyle and Middlesbrough.
Whittaker's path to this point
Whittaker first moved to Swansea City in February 2021. He travelled to Lincoln City in the summer of 2021 ahead of an anticipated loan switch that did not happen then, but Lincoln returned for him in January 2022 and he joined for the rest of the 2021/22 campaign. He scored five times in 20 League One appearances for the Imps.
In July 2022, Whittaker joined Plymouth on loan before Swansea recalled him midway through the 2022/23 season. Plymouth then brought him back permanently in July 2023. Since moving to Middlesbrough in January 2025, he has remained one of the more established attacking options in the squad.
For Colorado Rapids, the appeal is clear: a player with Championship experience, a recent play-off final run and the versatility to operate either wide or centrally. For Middlesbrough, the talks raise the possibility of losing a useful attacker to a record incoming offer from MLS.
