Overview
- Sources report Middlesbrough and Columbus Crew have reached an agreement in principle for Max Arfsten with a fee up to $7.5 million including add-ons and a sell-on clause, though no official announcement has been made.
- Arfsten is expected to travel to Teesside to undergo a medical and complete paperwork before joining teammates Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter.
- The club tracked Arfsten for nearly two years and made offers in previous windows that Columbus resisted until Arfsten’s contract entered its final year.
- Arfsten earned MLS All-Star recognition this summer and made one substitute appearance for the USMNT at the World Cup after producing strong MLS numbers earlier this season.
- The move continues Middlesbrough’s strategy of recruiting players with U.S. and Columbus connections as they rebuild after missing promotion, and it will require Columbus to adjust after losing a key attacking full-back.