Rav van den Berg’s future becomes clear with personal terms ‘agreed in principle’, but Middlesbrough want more

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It’s been apparent for a while that Rav van den Berg would leave Middlesbrough, and EFL Analysis can exclusively reveal that a deal is getting closer to completion.

While Middlesbrough may have ambitions of achieving promotion and getting back to the top flight, there’s no denying the Teessiders are a club with a history of selling its best talent.

New manager Rob Edwards may well start the season without key players like Hayden Hackney, who appears to be Premier League bound.

Rav van den Berg is also expected to leave, and EFL Analysis can now reveal how close the Dutchman is to a move to Feyenoord.

• READ MORE: Middlesbrough fans will love Rob Edwards’ claim about Hayden Hackney’s future amid Premier League links

Rav van den Berg closes in on move to Feyenoord

Thanks to information from our Chief Football Correspondent Graeme Bailey, we can confirm that Dutch giants Feyenoord are in talks with Boro regarding van den Berg, but there is still some way to go in agreeing a fee for the player.

We are told Feyenoord value van den Berg at around £10million but Middlesbrough would ideally like more. It is worth noting his former club, FC Zwolle, have a sell-on clause, too.

The latest on the finer details regarding the move is that Boro will go lower than the £10m fee, but they want a substantial sell-on clause in return. We expect that to be around the 15-20% mark.

Apparently, van den Berg has already agreed to move to Rotterdam and personal terms for the move “have been agreed in principle.”

We have previously covered the fact that Rav van den Berg has interest in Germany. The likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz and Union Berlin are all still keen, but Feyenoord are now “very much in pole position to secure his signature.”

• READ MORE: Middlesbrough fans are not impressed with Rob Edwards after ‘abysmal’ pre-season game, 2025/26 may be a ‘struggle’

Middlesbrough will miss Rav van den Berg

Since joining Boro back in 2023, van den Berg has racked up 66 appearances for the Riverside outfit, and became a crucial figure under former coach Michael Carrick.

Given Edwards prefers to play with three at the back, keeping van den Berg would have been a massive boost for his efforts in the coming season, but it seems very unlikely he will get to work with the young Dutchman now.

Edwards needs plenty of new signings this summer, but reinforcing the centre of defence will be a top priority. Middlesbrough were short of options there last season, and van den Berg’s departure only exacerbates that issue.