Middlesbrough chase £14m Man Utd keeper as Birmingham miss out

Middlesbrough are set to secure Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek for a £14 million fee this summer, according to reports, after the 22‑year‑old expressed a desire to leave Old Trafford on a permanent deal. His performances on loan at Bristol City, where he kept the fourth most clean sheets in the Championship, have attracted interest.

The club missed out on promotion in last season's play‑off final, a disappointment that highlighted a weak point in their squad. Seeking to rectify that, Middlesbrough have identified Vitek as the solution to strengthen their goalkeeping position ahead of a promotion push.

Vitek made 41 Championship appearances for Bristol City last season, recording the fourth‑most clean sheets in the division despite the team finishing 12th. His goals‑prevented rate of 5.4 placed him among the top three keepers, behind only Carl Rushworth and Christian Walton.

Birmingham City, meanwhile, have re‑signed James Beadle rather than pursuing Vitek. Beadle managed just eight clean sheets last season and posted a –0.9 goals‑prevented rate, the 15th‑best in the division, a stark contrast to Vitek’s statistics.

The Blues have a history of significant spending, having paid £15 million for Jay Stansfield and recent fees of £6 million for August Priske and £7 million for Carlos Vicente. Yet they opted to retain Beadle on loan from Brighton, a decision that could limit their chances of challenging for promotion.

Action Image By  Alex Lawes Published Aug 6, 2026, 7:30 AM GMT+1. A long‑suffering Bolton Wanderers supporter first and foremost, who manages to balance the heartache of the Whites, writes for Football League World. Add Us Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Thread Log in Here. Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap.