Competition grows for Barcelona target Herrington

A major competition has begun in Europe for Lucas Herrington, one of the most notable young talents of the World Cup. According to TeamTalk, the 18-year-old Australian defender at Colorado Rapids has landed on the agenda of the continent's biggest clubs following his performances at the tournament. The 6ft 4in centre-back became the youngest player to start for Australia in World Cup history.

Herrington drew attention with mature performances against Paraguay and Egypt. Despite missing his effort in the penalty shootout against Egypt in the Round of 32, he won plenty of admirers for having the courage to step up at such a young age. Having moved to Colorado Rapids from Brisbane Roar for under £1 million in January, the young player is reported to already be poised to bring his club a significant profit within just a few months.

According to reports, Barcelona are the club with the most concrete and advanced interest in this race. However, the Spanish giants are not alone; Liverpool and Manchester United are also reported to have made contact with the player's representatives. Alongside these three major clubs, Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle have also joined the race on the Premier League side. Chelsea's owners BlueCo and Manchester City's parent company City Football Group are also said to have held discussions regarding the player.

It is also emphasized that the interest is not confined to England and Spain. Clubs such as Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Ajax, Monaco, Lille, Atalanta and Union Saint-Gilloise are also reported to be closely monitoring Herrington, with around 20 clubs in total said to be involved in this transfer race. Colorado Rapids are reported to be open to a sale for the right offer, but would prefer to loan the young player back to MLS for another season before sending him to Europe; this option is said to be seen as appealing by several interested clubs in terms of the player's development.

Source: TeamTalk
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