The struggling Colorado Rapids may make a mid-season splash for their back line.
Sources confirmed to The Denver Post on Monday that the Rapids agreed to a transfer fee of $1.6 million for Israeli international center back Stav Lemkin. The deal might not be finalized until some point during the MLS secondary transfer window, which runs from July 24 to Aug. 14.
Lemkin, 22, is on loan with the Israeli Premier League’s Maccabi Tel Aviv. His contract is with Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. The loan is due to finish at the end of June, with his base contract expiring in June of 2028, according to Transfermarkt.
He has three caps for the Israeli national team, all coming in the group stage of last year’s UEFA Euro qualifying rounds. He’s played in high-level club matches, too, starting or appearing in multiple Europa League matches with Tel Aviv against recognizable clubs like FC Porto and Real Sociedad.
There isn’t much film or many stats available on Lemkin, but he’s a hair below 6-foot-3, basically a prerequisite height for Rapids center backs.
But what his potential signing signals for the Rapids could be much bigger.
Perennial starting center back Andreas Maxsø garnered reported interest from Saudi Arabian teams over the offseason this past winter, but he ended up staying in Colorado.
It’s highly unlikely the Rapids would cough up seven figures for a bench player, and it’s equally unlikely the club would move to a five-back system that includes three center backs. They could move Chidozie Awaziem or Maxsø to the bench, but Awaziem is playing well and Maxsø is well compensated ($1.15 million annually, per the MLS Players’ Association).
Essentially, it may end up being the end of Maxsø in Colorado. If there’s still mutual interest in playing in the Saudi Pro League, he could make more money in a place known for its over-the-top contracts. And at 31, the Danish international doesn’t fit into the youth development prototype the Rapids want to model.
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An added wrinkle: Lemkin is eligible for a U-22 Initiative slot, but the Rapids don’t currently have one open. They could, however, shift from the three-Designated Player, three-U-22 model to the new two-DP, four-U-22 setup introduced last offseason. If the club went that direction, a DP — presumably winger Kévin Cabral, who has not produced at a DP level this season and hardly starts anymore — would have to depart for that to happen.
With a pivotal transfer window coming up amid an underwhelming start for the Rapids, an expensive deal for a center back is a puzzling choice for a team struggling to score (18 goals in 17 games, eighth-worst in MLS). But it could start a chain reaction that would continue a movement toward youth and the future.
Securing a young, talented center back is smart in theory, but only if the Rapids can make moves for better attacking talent, particularly on the flanks. Ted Ku-DiPietro is turning into a fantastic signing, but there’s simply not enough threat on the outside to be a 60-goal team like Colorado was last season.
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