Liverpool Targets Rising Star Lucas Herrington in MLS
Liverpool’s World Cup talent trawl has moved beyond the headline act of Yan Diomande and onto another teenager turning heads on the other side of the Atlantic.
The club has been tracking Australia international Lucas Herrington, an 18-year-old center-back who has quietly become one of the most talked-about defensive prospects in MLS with Colorado Rapids. He has yet to kick a ball at this World Cup, but that hasn’t stopped some of Europe’s biggest clubs from circling.
Diomande chase sets the tone
Liverpool’s summer has, so far, been framed by its pursuit of Diomande. The RB Leipzig winger, just 19, lit up his World Cup debut against Ecuador and immediately pushed himself to the front of the market. Liverpool has already made its stance clear to Leipzig: it is prepared to do business at around $115 million (€100m).
That intent followed the capture of Victor Munoz earlier in the week, underlining a strategy that leans heavily into the next generation. The club is not dipping a toe into youth recruitment. It is diving in.
And while Diomande dominates the back pages, the same scouting network has been working more quietly in the United States.
Herrington on Europe’s radar
According to The Athletic, Liverpool sent scouts to watch Herrington during his first season with Colorado Rapids, whom he joined from Brisbane Roar in January. He arrived in MLS as a long-term project. He might not stay that long.
Barcelona has already tested the water with a bid, only to be knocked back. The offer did not meet Colorado’s valuation, and talks are not active at the moment, but the Catalan club’s interest underlines the level at which Herrington is now being judged.
For now, he waits. Named on the bench for Australia’s World Cup games against Turkey and the USA, he has yet to start in the tournament. His reputation, though, has been built over months rather than days in Qatar, and within the game he is already viewed as one of the most promising young defenders in world football.
Colorado saw this coming. The Rapids are said to have agreed a deal with him well before his 18th birthday, anticipating exactly this kind of European attention. There was even a chance to sell him on for a profit before he had kicked a competitive ball for the club.
“World at his feet”
Inside Colorado, there is no attempt to play down his potential.
“He is an exceptionally talented young man with the world at his feet,” Rapids president Padraig Smith told Yahoo! Sports. “When our scouts identified him, and we began the recruitment process, we knew he had a high ceiling.”
Those who share a dressing room with Herrington echo that assessment. Former Arsenal defender Rob Holding, now his teammate in Colorado, offered a concise scouting report: “He’s super composed. Super relaxed, on the ball, under pressure. He’s a really good player. He just keeps getting better and better each week.”
That blend of calm on the ball and rapid development is exactly what top European clubs now demand from modern center-backs. Liverpool’s interest fits the pattern.
MLS record in sight
Colorado will not let him go cheaply. It is suggested the Rapids would seek an MLS-record fee for a center-back if they chose to sell Herrington.
That benchmark is currently held by another former Rapids defender, Moise Bombito, who joined Nice for an initial $7.7m, with add-ons and a sell-on clause baked into the deal. Any move for Herrington is likely to be framed in similar terms: a significant up-front fee, with further upside if his career explodes in Europe as many expect.
For Liverpool, the numbers will be weighed against a broader rebuild.
A defensive department being rebuilt on youth
The club has already moved decisively to refresh its defensive options with youth this year. Mor Talla Ndiaye joined the academy in January. Ifeanyi Ndukwe is set to follow this summer. Jeremy Jacquet, 20, will complete his move from Rennes to the senior squad next month.
Layer that on top of a potential nine-figure move for Diomande and a serious look at Herrington, and a clear picture emerges: Liverpool is trying to lock down the next decade, not just the next season.
Herrington may still be waiting for his first World Cup minute. He may still be learning his trade in MLS. But when Liverpool and Barcelona are already jostling for position, the question is no longer whether he comes to Europe – it is who wins the race, and how much they are willing to pay to find out how high that ceiling really is.
