As we did this past winter, Burgundy Wave will be doing a Colorado Rapids rumor tracker for the 2023 MLS Secondary Transfer Window, which is open from July 5 to August 2. This transfer tracker was last updated Thursday, August 3.
Rapids Sign Portuguese Midfielder Sidnei Tavares on Loan
August 2: Tom Bogert reports the Rapids have signed FC Porto midfielder Sidnei Tavares. It’s a loan with an option to buy. He will be an international and a U22 player. He is a product of the Leicester City FC academy. He made two appearances in the Premier League. He spent most of last year’s European season playing regularly for Porto B. Transfermarkt valued him at $890K for what that’s worth.
August 3: Colorado Rapids confirm the signings. Loan through June 30, 2024. The club has an option to buy. With Acosta gone, Tavares could get minutes as a true No. 8 to try and stabilize the midfield.
Rumor Ranking: Done.
Forward Michael Barrios to LA Galaxy:
August 3: In possibly a late hour deal, Colorado Rapids trade Michael Barrios to LA Galaxy. They get LA’s natural 2024 first round pick. There are player performance metrics that could see the Rapids get up to $50K in 2024 GAM.
Barrios has become a shell of himself. He was a decent super sub option early on in the year. He’s older, slower, and not worth the $680K annual salary. Like Acosta, he probably wasn’t coming back. The Rapids found a home for him where he’ll get as much playing time and actually have something to compete for in October. Also like Acosta, the biggest net positive is getting his salary off the books and freeing up a roster spot.
Rumor Ranking: Done.
Midfielder Bryan Acosta to Portland Timbers:
August 1: With the window closing tomorrow, Tom Bogart of the Athletic is reporting that Portland Timbers have traded for Bryan Acosta. Acosta is an international player and has a club option for 2024. He has a 2023 guaranteed compensation of $731,667. This would free up some money for a player who will turn 30-years-old in November. Colorado would be cutting losses for a veteran who has been fine but has not replaced Kellyn Acosta. Even a couple hundred thousand in GAM would be a net positive if the Rapids are bringing in a cheaper and younger midfielder at the end of the window or even in the winter.
August 1: Just hours after the first report, Colorado Rapids confirm the trade. Colorado receives $150K in 2023 GAM. There are performance and roster-based metrics that could have them receive an additional $175K in 2024 GAM.
Rumor Ranking: Done.
Rapids Trade Left Back Anthony Markanich to St. Louis CITY:
August 1: Colorado Rapids confirm second-year pro Anthony Markanich is on the move. The left back was traded to St. Louis CITY for $75K in 2023 GAM and St. Louis’ natural first-round pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. There are performance metrics that could see Colorado get an additional $75K in 2024 GAM.
For a drafted player who’s ceiling is probably MLS substitute, this return is fair. There’s space for Homegrown Jackson Travis to be on the bench down the stretch. Andrew Gutman has been fantastic. Colorado has better natural center backs as well in Moïse Bombito and Michael Edwards. Markanich was surplus to requirement. If the draft pick turns into a kid who can play in MLS, good trade. Markanich gets to go to a team that actually wins. His Rapids low $68,775 guaranteed compensation will also go further in St. Louis than in Denver.
Rumor Ranking: Done.
Palmeiras Forward Rafael Navarro Loan With Option to buy:
July 3: Venê Casagrande a Brazilian journalist has reported the Rapids have offered Palmeiras a 12-month loan with an option to buy for $5 million for center forward Rafael Navarro. He is 6’0″ 23-years-old and joined the Alviverde in January 2022. This season, he has four goals in just over 400 minutes played, 17 appearances, mostly as a substitute. If that transfer fee is right, it would nearly double the club record transfer fee (Juan RamÃrez, $2.7 million, February 2015). Colorado should be familiar with Palmeiras players, having scouting Lucas Esteves who spent 18 months on loan with Colorado (not that that loan with an option to buy worked out in the end). Maybe the scouting department sees something they like and the FO is confident in splashing a record transfer fee on a No. 9. Does this mean they’re giving up Cabral?
July 7: Casagrande reports that a deal is still close and that the striker has said goodbye to his teammates and could be traveling based on activity on his social media.
July 9: Tom Bogert reports that the deal is done. It’s a 12-month loan with a $500K loan fee and a $4.5 million purchase option. This is massive for the Rapids and big move even by today’s MLS standards.
July 10: Colorado Rapids officially confirm Navarro. A 12-month loan with an option to make permanent at the end of the loan.
Rumor Ranking: Completed 7/10.
Goalkeeper Marko Ilić Loan Expiration With an Option to Buy:
July 2: Marko Ilić’s loan was “through July”. The Rapids have an option to buy from K.V. Kortrijk. Colorado’s had an interesting goalkeeper competition the last month or so. Ilić’s comments in the past seem to indicate he wants to make the move permanent and believes it will happen. Do the Rapids pay the transfer fee to bring on a goalkeeper who so far hasn’t been a significant upgrade over William Yarbrough? With Yarbrough having a team option for 2024, do they make a move with long term implications on a player with single digit MLS starts? In Chris Sharpe we trust.
July 7: Brendan Ploen confirms that Ilić’s loan has expired. Colorado and KVK are actively negotiating with the original option to buy now expired. The player alluded to some discomfort back in Belgium previously to Burgundy Wave and did not want to elaborate.
July 15: The club confirms signing Ilić on a permanent deal. Two-and-a-half-year contract with club options for 2026 and 2027. The player and club sight family matters as being the concern that was resolved, making this transfer happen.
Rumor Ranking: Completed 7/15.
Midfielder Danny Leyva Loan Could End:
July 2: Danny Leyva is on loan from Seattle Sounders. Both clubs reserve the right to end the loan during this transfer window. The Rapids have played 13 matches in all competitions since the move. Leyva has appeared in all but one of those games with seven starts. He’s been fine in possession but his only goal contribution was an assist in the Open Cup at Sacramento. Leyva’s occupying a supplemental roster slot. If the Rapids want to give a young player from the academy or Rapids 2 a chance, this writer could see them ending the loan. Seattle has to be happy with his playing time so far. He’s on pace to play his most minutes in an MLS season. Unless something changes, expect him to stay. He’s been good enough for both teams to keep the loan in place for the second half of the year.
August 3: The window closes with Leyva still a Rapids player.
Rumor Ranking: Done. Leyva stays through the end of the season.
Atlanta United Defender Andrew Gutman:
July 3: Vincent Destouche has reported that the Colorado Rapids have acquired defender Andrew Gutman from Atlanta United. Tom Bogert of The Athletic has corroborated the story. The 26-year-old is mostly a left back but has also played center back for the Five Stripes. The Indiana Hoosier and Chicago Fire youth product spent two years at FC Cincinnati on loan from Celtic. He made a permanent move to MLS in 2021, joining Atlanta but going on loan to RBNY where he was good. He’s been a regular starter for ATLUTD this year and last. With three goals and five assists, he has more goal contributions than any Rapids player this year. The fact that he plays several positions, including some left midfield, would make him an asset to Robin Fraser. He would solve the problem at left back immediately. Gutman is in the final guaranteed year of his contract with a team option for 2024. His guaranteed compensation for this year is $381,250. This would have to mean the club’s moving off at least one defender by this winter, right? Transfermarkt has his valuation at $800K for what that’s worth. Get him for that much GAM or less and this transfer is a slam dunk.
July 5: Colorado Rapids announce Gutman’s trade is official. Atlanta United receive $300K in 2023 GAM, $100K in 2024 GAM, and a 2023 international roster slot (valued at about $100K in GAM). There are $150K in performance thresholds as well. Total package could reach approximately $650K in GAM equivalent. Good trade by Pádraig Smith and Fran Taylor.
Rumor Ranking: Completed 7/5.
Rapids 2 Defender Daniel Chacón Loan and First Team Contract
July 3: Colorado Rapids confirm R2 center back Daniel Chacón has gone on loan to Alajuelense in his native Costa Rica for the remainder of 2023. The 22-year-old has signed two-year MLS contract with a club option for 2026. He’s the first player at the club on an MLS NEXT Pro contract to sign a first team deal. Chacón made three appearances and played 225 minutes in MLS NEXT Pro this season. The organization is betting on him taking a step up in 2024 having not played much state side yet.
July 6: Burgundy Wave reports that this move was largely because all parties believed Chacón needed a proper preseason to get back into form. He has been out with a right knee injury since April. Sourced told Burgundy Wave he only returned to training the previous week and the injury was not serious (no ACL tear, no surgery, etc.). A proper apertura in Costa Rica will set him up to hit the ground running in 2024, likely as a first team contributor.
Rumor Ranking: Completed 7/3.
Turkish Central Midfielder Taylan Antalyalı
June 28: @aslanmedya2023 is reporting that Colorado as well as New England Revolution have made contact with Galatasaray S.K. for midfielder Taylan Antalyalı. The 28-year-old was on loan this past European season at MKE Ankaragücü, who finished midtable in the Turkish Süper Lig. Antalyalı was a regular starter for them. Blue checkmarks don’t mean much on Twitter anymore. The account’s profile plugs an Instagram account and a Gmail address. No actual website. Furthermore, the report is just contact rather than an actual transfer offer. Let’s wait for something more substantial from an actual media outlet.
Rumor Ranking: Cold.
Ecuadorian Defensive Midfielder Óscar Zambrano
June 27: @MLSSource is reporting the Rapids have expressed interest in U-20 World Cup midfielder Óscar Zambrano. He turned 19-years-old back in April and is just breaking into the first team at Liga Deportiva Universitaria, an Ecuadorian team based out of Quito. They’re currently third in the first division. Colorado has been scouting the far corners of South America the last year or so. Transfermarkt has his valuation at ~$650,000 for what it’s worth. An anonymous Twitter account who’s first tweet was two months ago with less than 300 followers at time of reporting this, and the report is only that the club’s interested. Like the Antalyalı rumor, wait for secondary confirmation that there’s more going on here.
Rumor Ranking: Cold.
Jonathan Lewis to the EFL Championship?
June 18: Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has reported that relegated Leicester City are eyeing Jonathan Lewis as a potential replacement for Harvey Barnes, who’s been heavily linked to West Ham and Spurs. This isn’t the first English connection for Lewis, who spent time as a youth player at Bradford City. Lewis has dealt with various injuries this year. He just turned 26-years-old and has just one goal in almost 1,000 league minutes. He has the pace and athleticism to match the EFL Championship. That said, Leicester’s goal should be to compete for promotion back to the Premier League. They should be looking at players who will excel in the Championship and have potential help avoid relegation in 2024-25. That seems beyond JLew’s ceiling at this point. If the Foxes come in with a $2 million bid, they can have him.
Rumor Ranking: Cold.
Photo Credit: Antonia Geiger, emdashphoto.com.
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Brendan Ploen 
Alex Gersbach is a miss? Or long-term injury?
https://theathletic.com/4664055/2023/07/03/andrew-gutman-colorado-rapids-atlanta-united?source=user-shared-article
He hasn’t worked out at the club. He’s injured at the moment, likely not a long-term injury though. He just hasn’t been very good.
That was my thought
[…] track record with loans with an options to buy. See Edgar Castillo, Esteves, and more recently Marko Ilić. Hopefully if the loan works out, ownership follows through and the front office doesn’t get […]