Lucas Herrington is about to become Australia’s most expensive footballer, seven months after Brisbane Roar sold him for $750,000

Hull City are in the final stages of a deal for Lucas Herrington that would make the 18-year-old the most expensive Australian footballer in history.

Colorado Rapids and the newly promoted Premier League club are negotiating a fee reported at between £20 million and £21.5 million — roughly $38 million.

That would eclipse the $23 million Leicester City paid Stoke for Harry Souttar in 2023.

Hull owner Acun Ilicali confirmed the interest to the BBC on Saturday with a single word. Asked whether Herrington was a target, he said: “Yes”.

“He’s [got] very big potential. Very young boy. I think [a] future star,” Ilicali said.

“We are very close, very close.”

Asked how long a decision might take, he said one week.

Herrington was a Brisbane Roar academy player until January, when he moved to Colorado for a reported €450,000 — about $750,000, and a club record for the Roar at the time.

Then the Roar sold their sell-on clause back to Colorado for a lump sum.

That decision, made before a World Cup nobody expected him to start, means an Australian record transfer will deliver the A-League club nothing. Colorado are reported to have negotiated 15 per cent of any future sale for themselves.

Herrington played every minute of Australia’s World Cup campaign as a first-choice centre-back at 18, and took a penalty in the shootout against Egypt. He hit the crossbar. Australia went out in the round of 16 again.

Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been linked with him since.

His contract with Colorado runs to 2029 with an option for a further year, which is why the Rapids can hold out for a figure like this.

He played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Austin FC on Sunday, in what looks like his last game for the club. Colorado don’t play again until August 16. He was made available to local media during the week but questions about the transfer were off limits.

Hull have already signed Jack Butland, Matt Targett, Oscar Zambrano and Hidemasa Morita since promotion. They open the season on August 15 and host Manchester United on August 22.

If it goes through, Herrington will be the only Socceroo in the Premier League this season.