Rapids transfer Moïse Bombito for record outbound fee, league sources say

More transfer fee records are falling in Colorado.

The Colorado Rapids have agreed to transfer star Canadian center back Moïse Bombito for an MLS center back-record $7.7 million to Ligue 1’s OGC Nice in France, league sources told The Denver Post on Tuesday.

The deal, which almost quadruples the Rapids’ outbound transfer fee record of $2.1 million (Sam Vines in 2021), includes add-ons worth up to an additional $3 million if Bombito meets certain appearance and performance numbers.

The league source added there is a “significant” sell-on clause, meaning the Rapids will receive a portion of a transfer fee should Bombito be transferred to another team in the future.

Bombito’s transfer comes just a day before the MLS secondary transfer window closes Wednesday night.

In January, the Rapids broke their inbound transfer fee record when they signed midfielder Djordje Mihailovic from AZ Alkmaar for just more than $3.5 million. They nearly broke that record again in June when they signed forward Rafael Navarro from Palmeiras for $3.5 million.

Now, they’ve made that money back and then some.

The 24-year-old from Montreal has risen in performance and notoriety over the past few years. As recently as 2022, Bombito played at Iowa Western, a junior college, before moving to New Hampshire and eventually being picked third by the Rapids in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

He caught the eyes of international squads after a video of him sprinting back to stop an attack during a game at Inter Miami, when he was clocked as MLS’ fastest player this season at more than 23 miles per hour, went viral.

New Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsch selected Bombito for Copa América, where he started every match and scored two penalties in as many shootouts en route to a surprising fourth-place finish in the competition.

Olympique Lyon, another top-flight team in France, reportedly made multiple offers for the center back, all of which were rejected by the Rapids.

The Rapids, slated to play in the Leagues Cup round of 16 on Tuesday night against Deportivo Toluca, are fourth in the MLS Western Conference standings, with Bombito playing a big role in the back line.

Now the team will have to make the most out of missing their star center back. Fan favorite Lalas Abubakar has stepped up multiple times this season, contributing to a 5-3-1 record in his starts in Bombito’s place across all competitions.

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