Overview
- Middlesbrough confirmed the permanent signing of goalkeeper Radek Vitek on Saturday, August 8, 2026, on a five-year contract.
- The club will pay an initial £7 million with performance-related payments that could take the total to about £14 million.
- Manchester United retained a 35% sell-on clause and inserted matching rights plus a buy-back option whose fee has not been disclosed.
- Vitek pushed for a permanent move after a strong loan season at Bristol City, where he made 134 saves, kept 12 clean sheets and registered roughly a 71% save rate.
- Boro view the signing as part of a summer recruitment drive aimed at promotion, expecting Vitek to compete for and likely claim the first-choice goalkeeper role while the contractual clauses preserve United's future control and financial upside.