How much FC Koln will need to pay to sign Middlesbrough's Rav van den Berg | OneFootball

Boro have seemingly set their price for the Dutch defender.

German Bundesliga side FC Koln have seemingly learned what they'll need to pay if they wish to sign Middlesbrough defender Rav van den Berg this summer.

Boro were able to kick-start the Rob Edwards era on Teesside with an opening day victory over Swansea City on Saturday.

Dael Fry's header from a Morgan Whittaker corner just minutes into the second half was enough to see Boro claim all three points, in what was a fairly uneventful afternoon of football aside from that moment.

That was in large part down to Middlesbrough's textbook defensive showing, as Boro's backline presented minimal opportunities for Swansea to hurt them.

Koln learn Middlesbrough's Rav van den Berg asking price

One player who didn't play any part in Middlesbrough's first three points of the season, however, was Rav van den Berg.

The 21-year-old Dutch defender has been the subject of significant transfer interest this summer, with Crystal Palace, Brentford and Feyenoord among the clubs reported to have taken an interest in signing him.

German Bundesliga outfit FC Koln are the latest club to be linked with a move for the Netherlands youth international, with his exit from the Riverside Stadium looking increasingly likely before the 1 September deadline.

However, up until now, it's not been clear how much Boro are looking to recoup for the player they plucked from PEC Zwolle in the summer of 2023 for just £260k.

That was until a report from German news outlet Bild on Monday has claimed that Koln has reportedly offered €7m euros/£6m for Van den Berg, which has fallen short of Middlesbrough's reported €10m euros/£8.6m valuation of the player.

The report states that Van den Berg is 'desperate' to join the North Rhine-Westphalia-based club this summer, but in order to see a move go through, Koln will likely need to fork out an extra €2-3m euros in order to strike a deal with the Teessiders.

Van den Berg is contracted with Middlesbrough until the summer of 2027.

Rav van den Berg sale could hold the key to further Middlesbrough signings

Collecting a fee of around £8.6m may feel a tad disappointing for some Middlesbrough fans, especially when, namely Brentford, have previously been reported to have been plotting a £15m approach for him.

However, it would appear that Van den Berg does have his heart set on a move away from the North East this summer, and once a player enters that sort of mindest, it can not only be very difficult, but also very risky to try and bring them out of it.

Edwards, through his celebrations in front of Boro's South Stand after the full-time whistle against Swansea City and through various interviews in pre-season, is clearly prioritising the construction of a real togetherness and connection between himself, the team, and the fanbase in his role as Middlesbrough head coach.

In order for that to be successful, he can't have players in the dressing room who perhaps would rather be somewhere else; it requires everyone pulling in the same direction.

Therefore, whilst it may not be the big-time payday Boro fans have been dreaming of when watching the Dutchman's development since arriving on Teesside, it could hold the key to the club being able to complete some essential incoming deals of their own before the end of the window.

Boro, as always, are having to be extremely careful and mindful of staying on the right side of the EFL's Profit and Sustainability laws (PSR), and with chunky fees already splashed out on Alfie Jones, Callum Brittain and Abdoulaye Kante respectively, they may well need to receive a significant cash injection if they wish to keep spending the way they have been.

At this moment in time, that doesn't appear to be coming from Hayden Hackney - who played the full 90 minutes v Swansea - and so it may well be down to the sale of Van den Berg to raise those extra funds that will enable Boro to get some much-needed deals over the line.