Middlesbrough is finalizing a deal to sign U.S. national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter from the Vancouver Whitecaps. Boro will pay a fee of roughly $2 million for Berhalter, who is out of contract this winter, rather than risk losing him for free.

Sources said between six and 10 clubs seriously pursued Berhalter this summer before Middlesbrough emerged as the frontrunner. He was held out of Vancouver's 4-3 loss to FC Cincinnati on Wednesday as the deal progressed.

Berhalter, 25, featured for the United States at this summer's World Cup, appearing in all five American matches with one start. He scored a powerful strike against Turkey in the group stage and added an assist during the tournament. He earned MLS Best XI honors in 2025 and has continued performing at a high level this season, earning All-Star recognition.

Berhalter posted five goals and 13 assists across all competitions last season from a box-to-box midfield role, helping lead Vancouver to the Canadian Championship title while also guiding the club to both the MLS Cup final and the Concacaf Champions Cup final.

The son of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, Sebastian made his national team debut under Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2025 and earned a spot on this year's World Cup roster. He has since made 18 appearances for the national team.

Berhalter will join fellow American midfielder Aidan Morris at Middlesbrough. The two are close friends and former youth teammates from their time together at the Columbus Crew. Boro has been active in the American transfer market this offseason, also signing former Charlotte FC defender Adilson Malanda after a previous bid for Crew wingback Max Arfsten was rejected last year.

Berhalter's development has been one of MLS's more notable success stories in recent years. Vancouver originally acquired him for a nominal fee of $50,000 in general allocation money in 2022, the smallest denomination tradable under the league's salary cap mechanism. He has since grown into one of MLS's top midfielders and a full World Cup participant, and is now set to make his move to the English Championship.