Commerce City, Colo. – Colorado Rapids center back Lucas Herrington to Hull City is in the works reports The Athletic and Give Me Sports. Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sports understands the fee to be around £20 million, equivalent to around $27 million.
This move would make sense for all parties. Liverpool and Barcelona have expressed interest in the 18-year-old, among other Champions League level clubs. $27 million would absolutely meet the Rapids FO’s ‘can’t say no’ price. It would shatter the club record transfer fees for Moïse Bombito ($7.7 million plus add ons) and Djordje Mihailović ($8 million).
For Herrington, he’d have a decent shot at playing in his first season. The Tigers have four center backs on their roster. A newly promoted Premier League doesn’t spend $27 million on a player unless they think they’re a starter who can help keep them up. If they get relegated, the Aussie would certainly a building block for a push for automatic promotion the following year. Or he plays well on a relegated team and then a bigger club comes in and buys him for more than $30 million. Or Herrington helps them stay up.
Even at $27 million, it seems like a good financial move for now and in the future for Hull. Herrington seems worth the price.
Herrington arrived in MLS in January and has been a phenom for Colorado. In one week, he played Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min, and Thomas Müller and did not look out of place.
He was a late add to the World Cup roster for Australia, after joining camp and getting just his second senior cap for the Socceroos in a friendly against Mexico. He started their final two games of the tournament against Paraguay and Egypt. Herrington went viral for taking a penalty in that Round of 32 game, sending it off the crossbar. Despite missing the pen, the reaction for the Football World was overwhelmingly positive.
Read More: Lucas Herrington will be remembered for missing a penalty at the World Cup. For only good reasons.
The timing of this move is interesting. Hull have their final preseason game August 8 and kickoff the Premier League season August 15. Colorado Rapids do not play next weekend. Bombito was held out of multiple Leagues Cup games in 2024 with a minor leg injury before his move to OGC Nice. He did his physical in France. Mihailović was also held out of a Sunday Leagues Cup game before his transfer to Toronto FC. Herrington’s available for tonight’s game against Austin FC could be telling.
Either way, no game for two weeks is penalty of time for negotiations, paperwork, and a physical in Hull.
For Colorado, this would be an economic windfall like no other. Burgundy Wave has estimated the club made $6 million off the April 18 game at Mile High. It’s been a quiet summer transfer window. They’ve moved on from a few bench players who were on bigger contracts. Youssef Maziz has been confirmed on a free transfer. The Rapids could use the money to fill the two U22 slots to push for the playoffs and the U.S. Open Cup.
Shatter the club record transfer fee by a factor of three. Sign 2-3 players. Replace the scoreboard. Maybe win the Open Cup. That seems worth losing Herrington. There has not been a report of a sell-on clause. But at that price, I can understand the Rapids not negotiating for one.
Herrington would immediately be one of the most prominent national team players back home in terms of club pedigree.
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Zach Lowy 