Rapids agree to transfer fee on Israeli international center back Stav Lemkin, sources say

The struggling Colorado Rapids may make a mid-season splash for their back line Sources validated to The Denver Post on Monday that the Rapids agreed to a transfer fee of million for Israeli international center back Stav Lemkin The deal might not be finalized until several point during the MLS secondary transfer window which runs from July to Aug Lemkin 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 according to Transfermarkt He has three caps for the Israeli national squad 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 multiple stats available on Lemkin but he s a hair below -foot- basically a prerequisite height for Rapids center backs But what his prospective signing signals for the Rapids could be much bigger Perennial starting center back Andreas Maxs garnered stated 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 sportsman 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 Maxs to the bench but Awaziem is playing well and Maxs is well compensated million annually per the MLS Players Association Essentially it may end up being the end of Maxs 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 the Danish international doesn t fit into the youth progress prototype the Rapids want to model Related Articles Rapids shut out by Austin FC at home lose second straight Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen departs USMNT camp with knee injury Three Points Djordje Mihailovic shows why he deserves USMNT spot for Gold Cup Rapids endure lightning delay beat St Louis City for second straight win Rapids discovered their stride against Real Salt Lake with familiar formation Expect the same against St Louis At the price point and with the club s philosophy a practical like-for-like pair of transactions would make sense especially if Colorado could sell Maxs for around Lemkin s price or more An added wrinkle Lemkin is eligible for a U- Initiative slot but the Rapids don t at the moment have one open They could however shift from the three-Designated Contestant three-U- model to the new two-DP four-U- setup introduced last offseason If the club went that direction a DP presumably winger K vin 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 gang struggling to number goals in 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 totally not enough threat on the outside to be a -goal company like Colorado was last season Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams