Overview
- Middlesbrough completed the permanent transfer for Max Arfsten on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, with the 25-year-old signing a four-year contract and joining training on Teesside.
- Reports put the fee at about $7.5 million with local outlets citing roughly £5.5 million plus add-ons, and Columbus retained a sell-on percentage as part of the structured deal.
- Arfsten arrives as an attack-minded wing-back/full-back after recent seasons as a wide midfielder with Columbus, a conversion the club expects to use to provide width and chance creation.
- The move links Arfsten with fellow Americans Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter at Middlesbrough, reinforcing a pattern of the club recruiting MLS-developed players.
- Columbus must replace Arfsten's offensive output—roughly 20 goals and 21 assists in about 114 appearances—and will likely look internally and on the market for a creative wide player.