MIDDLESBROUGH have completed the signing of Rav van den Berg, beating the likes of Roma and AC Milan to the capture of the highly-rated young defender.

The 18-year-old joins Boro for an undisclosed fee on the back of helping PEC Zwolle win promotion to the Eredivisie last season.

He has signed a four-year contract on Teesside.

The signing is quite the coup for Boro, with van den Berg having been of interest to a whole host of major European clubs. As well as Roma and AC Milan, Dortmund and Bayern Munich have been linked with the teenage defender, while Premier League side Brentford are also admirers.

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Van den Berg is the younger brother of Liverpool defender Sepp and has represented Holland throughout the youth ages up to Under-20s. He made 19 appearance in last season's promotion winning season for Zwolle.

It's another boost for Boro in what is proving to be a busy week. Van den Berg followed Alex Gilbert through the door, and Boro are closing in on the signings of Sammy Silvera, Tom Glover and Morgan Rogers.

There could, however, be an imminent exit with Marc Bola in talks with Turkish top flight side Samsunspor.