Middlesbrough have signed French defender Adilson Malanda from Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC for an undisclosed fee.
Malanda has agreed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Boro but he has been loaned back to the American club until the end of the MLS season in November.
The 23-year is Boro's sixth signing of the transfer window and second of the week, after the arrival on loan of Manchester City youngster Sverre Nypan on Tuesday.
Malanda is also the third defender to join the club over the summer, after Alfie Jones' switch from Hull City and Callum Brittain moving from Blackburn Rovers.