Barcelona has thrown its hat in the ring for 18-year-old Socceroos centre-back Lucas Herrington, submitting an official bid on the eve of his possible World Cup debut. The offer was rejected — it didn't meet Colorado Rapids' valuation, sources say.
The La Liga champions are the first club to make a formal move for the teenager, who only joined the MLS side in January from Brisbane Roar for about $1 million. The CIES Football Observatory estimates Herrington is worth between $23 million and $30 million. If Colorado gets that kind of money, he'd become the most expensive Australian player ever, beating the $23 million record set when Leicester City bought Harry Souttar after the 2022 World Cup.
Herrington has quickly become one of MLS's brightest young talents, playing every minute of the season so far — the only Colorado player to do that, according to Socceroos coach Tony Popovic. “He can be really good,” Popovic said. “It's quite special at 18 to be doing what he's doing.”
Herrington's rise has been rapid. He spent 18 months with his hometown A-League club Brisbane Roar before moving to Colorado, where he's held his own against stars like Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min, and Thomas Muller. European clubs were sniffing around even before he played an official match for Colorado.
“When I moved from the A-League, I wanted minutes, and MLS was the right place for that,” Herrington said. “It's a great league, a developing league. Both me and my agent thought it was the right step at the time – and clearly it was. I'm playing a lot. I'm really happy with the step and really enjoying playing in Colorado.”
No Australian, male or female, has ever played for Barcelona. The only known offer the club made for an Aussie was back in 2003, when they pursued Harry Kewell — he chose Liverpool instead. If Herrington signs, it would be one of the biggest moves by a Socceroo ever. But Barcelona isn't the only club interested — Everton and West Ham United are also reportedly in the mix.
Herrington is a decent chance to start in Australia's World Cup opener against Turkey on Sunday. Popovic is expected to pick between him and Cameron Burgess on the left side of the back three. Any appearances at the tournament would only drive up his price.
“He can be really good. He's just started out, he's doing so well … it's quite special at 18 to be doing what he's doing.” — Tony Popovic
Meanwhile, Brisbane Roar won't see a cent from Herrington's next transfer. They had a clause entitling them to 20 per cent of his next fee, but Colorado bought it out in recent weeks for about $560,000. The Roar's owners, Indonesian conglomerate the Bakrie Group, chose the short-term cash over holding out for a bigger payday. If Herrington's trajectory continues, that decision could cost them millions.