It’s understood the deal is worth $8.5m.
Malanda will see out the MLS season with Charlotte FC before joining up with Boro in January.
Boro’s recruitment chiefs are understood to be delighted with the capture of Malanda, who was wanted by clubs including PSV and Club Brugges this summer and Benfica back in January.
Agreeing to the loan and allowing Malanda to finish the US season was key in getting the deal done, and is a situation Boro are comfortable with given they’re well stocked at centre-half.
Malanda has been on Boro’s radar for a while and recruitment bosses took their opportunity to sign the 23-year-old this summer rather than risk holding off and missing out in future windows.
“I feel really good to be here and I’ve had a good welcome,” said Malanda, who travelled to the UK over the weekend to finalise his move and was at the Riverside on Monday night to watch the Under-21s in action against Manchester United.
“It’s a historic club and to be part of it is really exciting.
“There were a lot of talks and I’m happy we could make it happen. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in the future.”
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Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta said: “Adilson has been a true professional since stepping foot in Charlotte and throughout this process, where we worked together to get a deal that worked for both the club and the player.
“There were multiple top clubs that sent us strong offers for Adi, but in the end, this option allowed for us to keep him through the end of the season as we push for the top four.
“His career path shows that Charlotte FC is the right place for young players to come and develop into sought-after players from clubs all around the world.”
Malanda is Boro’s sixth signing of the summer, with the Championship club still looking to strengthen up-front and at left-back ahead of the transfer deadline.
The central defender, who previously had spells with Nimes and Rodez, has made almost 100 MLS appearances.
Charlotte are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference, which is the final spot for automatic qualification for round one of the play-offs, which run from October 24 to November 9.
If they were to finish eighth or ninth, they’d go into a wild card match, which takes place on October 22. The play-offs run through until December 6.
Malanda will then have an end-of-season break before joining up with Boro at the turn of the year. He’ll be registered to play for Boro in the second half of the season.
