5 hours ago
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€4.5m market value
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Barcelona have reportedly had a bid rejected by MLS outfit for Colorado Rapids for Australia international Lucas Herrington. The 18-year-old, who made his debut for the Socceroos in March and could make his World Cup bow tomorrow against Türkiye, has attracted admirers after dazzling in the A-League and MLS. But Barca have stolen a march by lodging an official bid for the highly-rated centre-back.
It remains to be seen whether the LaLiga giants return with an improved bid after their undisclosed offer was rebuffed, per the Sydney Morning Herald, but it could prove to be a historic deal in more ways than one. Any move is expected to be in excess of €20 million if it materialises, which would be the most expensive deal involving an Australian player in history.
Most expensive Australian players in history
The current record stands at €17 million, which Leicester City paid to sign Harry Souttar from Stoke City. Herrington could join a prestigious list of Aussie icons that includes Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Aaron Mooy if the Blaugrana stump up a serious fee.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic was full of praise for Herrington after including him in his 26-man World Cup squad: “He can be really good. He’s just started out, he’s doing so well. It is quite special at 18 to be doing what he’s doing,” he said. Former Brisbane Roar coach Ruben Zadkovich labelled him 'the best defender in Australian football' nearly two years ago when he was just 16. Two years on, it seems the pressure of that tag hasn't fazed him at all.
Barcelona are acutely aware that an impressive performance at the tri-nation tournament this summer could have a significant impact on his transfer fee. His current market value is €4.5 million euros, but that is expected to skyrocket in the coming months. The LaLiga giants tried to get a deal in the pipeline early on, but Colorado are sticking to their guns.
Expert view from MLS
Manuel Veth, Transfermarkt's Area Manager for North America, has the lowdown on Herrington: "He is a tremendous talent. One of the best center-backs in MLS. In retrospect, it's a little surprising that he didn’t go to Europe right away and went to MLS first. There is a bit of an Australia-to-MLS pipeline going on at the moment because of the difference in salary and MLS teams are going there more often to fish for talent now. Herrington will probably leave soon. His market value is already €4.5m and will be a starter for Australia at the World Cup."
The Rapids have already made a smart move in protecting themselves in the transfer market. As part of the €450,000 deal to bring Herrington to MLS in 2025, his former club Brisbane Roar inserted a 20 per cent sell-on clause entitling them to a chunk of his next move. However, the Rapids negotiated a deal to buy out the clause for a reported €560,000 only a few weeks ago in anticipation of a resale opportunity. It means they will take the entirety of the transfer fee instead of giving a slice to Brisbane.
The buzz around Herrington is understandable, although there are tales of caution to heed from other Australian wonderkids who eventually faded from prominent positions. Nestory Irankunda was billed as a generational talent when he left Adelaide United in 2024 to join Bayern Munich, but never featured for the Bundesliga champions' first team. He was allowed to join Grasshopper Zurich on loan before ending up at Watford in 2024. Now 20, Irankunda is yet to build on the early promised he showed, although there is still time to change that. Herrington will be eager to prove he can be the exception.
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