Lukas Engel has joined Real Salt Lake from Middlesbrough on a two-year deal that includes an option for a third year. The transfer to the MLS club followed an agreement between the two clubs on a fee of approximately £740,000. Real Salt Lake announced the move late on Friday evening.

Lukas Engel is leaving Middlesbrough to join Real Salt Lake on a permanent deal. Although an agreement was not initially reached after Real Salt Lake selected Engel in the MLS Re-Entry Draft, the American club remained interested in him and a deal has now been agreed. The fee is understood to be $1m. The 27-year-old is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with the MLS club.

Lukas Engel is returning to Middlesbrough this month after a loan spell at FC Cincinnati, but after Real Salt Lake's surprise decision to select the Dane in the MLS Re-Entry Draft, they failed to follow up with an offer that Middlesbrough found acceptable. Engel is currently expected to be reintegrated on Teesside and could be a useful option amid a defensive injury crisis, although a potential departure from the club would not be a huge surprise.