Socceroos teen on transfer radar of Man United, Liverpool and Barca

Socceroos teen sensation Lucas Herrington’s rise to the upper echelons of Australian Football has caught the attention of some huge clubs and he is now at the centre of some big transfer speculation.

After impressing during Australia’s run to the round of 32 at the World Cup, the 18-year-old is reportedly on the radar of Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Herrington stepped up to take a penalty for his country in a shootout against Egypt in the knockout stage, and despite missing his spot kick, he was widely hailed by former players for his bravery and composure at such a young age.

But when asked about the chances of cashing in on their young talent – who is valued in the region of $30 million - the response from his current MLS club was curt.

“Lucas is here. Lucas is our player,” Colorado Rapids boss Matt Wells told local media.

“There’s a reason that we went through a very stringent process to identify the best young centre-back out there.

“We happened to find one in Australia, and we brought him here. We thought he’d be a perfect fit for this style of play that I was bringing to the club.

“So I think, less time spent on speculation, more time on praise for the club in terms of the process they do. It’s not easy to ID a player of that age, on the other side of the world.

“And then you see the player that he has become in such a short space of time... I think the club deserve a huge amount of credit for that process.

“There are no timelines on anything other than, can I get him fit for San Diego?

“Because he’s been away for a long time. We’re delighted to have him back and let’s get him ready for Wednesday.”

Colorado paid the Brisbane Roar $1 million for Herrington just 18 months ago, but exposure to the likes of Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min and Thomas Muller in the MLS have been just the experience he needed.

Who will win the race to land "$32.5m" Socceroos star?

Socceroos star Nestory Irankunda is being linked with a record breaking move to Sporting Lisbon – the club that produced Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to sporting media outlet in Portugal Record, Sporting have already approached Irankunda’s current club Watford and negotiations are under way.

The 21-year-old, who scored an incredible goal for Australia against Turkiye, is being linked with a move to the Portuguese capital that would be worth in excess of $27.5 million plus $5 million in add-ons

Should a transfer go anywhere close to the aforementioned valuation, it would be an Australian record, shattering Harry Souttar’s $24.4m move to Leicester City in 2023.

SEN's Adam Peacock says the move would be a great one for the young star.

"They are just links and paper talk at the moment, but the prospect of him joining a club like Sporting is an exciting one," Peacock said.

"It's a club with a proven track record of getting players to go to the next level, all the while in an environment where expectations are high.

"Being involved in Champions League football helps too.

"Whether Watford get the price they value him at from a club outside the truly big financial markets in Europe is another thing.

"But if it happens, it looks to be a positive move."

Hull City and a number of Serie A clubs are also reportedly interested in Irankunda.

The 2024/25 season was Irankunda’s first with Watford. He scored four goals in 40 appearances having transferred from Bayern Munich.

His group stage goal made him the youngest Socceroo in history to score at the World Cup. Australia went on to the Round of 32 where they fell to Egypt.

After returning from the World Cup, Irankunda was asked about his future: “I see myself playing at a top level soon, whether that’s now or next season.

“It will happen eventually in my opinion. I have that belief in myself that I can get to that level one day.

“Time will tell.”

Watford are under no illusions about the fact they stand to lose the star with “everyone talking about him”.

“I’m super happy for the boy but a lot of big clubs are watching him. Now we have to fight to keep him,” Watford group technical director Gian Luca Nani said recently.

“I’m happy when a top club is asking for some of our players because it’s a certification that we’ve done a good job, I’m more scared if no-one is asking for our players.

“It’s also not that we want to sell everybody, but it’s also part of our job.

“Nestory is a great guy and he’s doing super well. We are proud of what he’s doing and all the world is talking about him. In Italy, everybody is talking about him.

“We would really like to have him with us but let’s see what the market says.”

OTHER WORLD CUP STARS ON THE WANTED LIST:

Marcus Rashford: Back from England's semi-final run at the World Cup, his future with Manchester United is in doubt and his name will be one of the biggest attractions for other clubs this transfer window.

Rodri: Who wouldn't want a World Cup winner in their side? Man City are said to be adamant he is not for sale but Real Madrid are said to be pushing hard. His current deal is up in 2027.

Ferran Torres: Liverpool are said to be leading this race from PSG and who can blame late comers to this bid after he scored the World Cup final winner. His contract is up next year and Barcelona are yet to make any decisions.

Bradley Barcola: Another Liverpool target and UK media reports an opening bid has already been tabled. There will be multiple suitors in this race with Arsenal also interested but PSG want to keep their man.

Folarin Balogun: One of the more controversial figures at this years World's Cup but that was more because of Donald Trump than the man himself. His 19 goals for Monaco last season have made him a wanted man and Sunderland, Newcastle, Forest and Fulham are said to be interested. Outside of England, Monaco are also understood to have had enquiries from Juventus and Atletico Madrid.