The Colorado Rapids are continuing their restructure of the team as the January transfer window goes on.
The Rapids announced the acquisition of goalkeeper Zack Steffen from Premier League champions Manchester City on Thursday, and now sources are confirming Colorado has added attacking midfielder Djordje Mihailovic from Netherlands side AZ Alkmaar.
The transfer for Mihailovic, according to club sources with knowledge of the deal, will be the highest in club history. Mihailovic is expected to sign a four-year deal with an option for a fifth. He will occupy a Designated Player slot on the roster alongside forwards Kévin Cabral and Rafael Navarro.
Steffen’s deal with the Rapids will go through the 2026 season, with a club option for the 2027 campaign, according to the team. Colorado paid $50,000 in General Allocation Money to New England for his discovery rights. He will not occupy a designated player slot on the roster.
But Mihailovic’s identification as a DP means the Rapids had to buy down defender Andreas Maxsø’s to allow Mihailovic to take the roster slot.
The 25-year-old will join the Rapids after a one-year stint in the Netherlands’ top flight league.
With AZ Alkmaar, he tallied two goals and two assists in 35 appearances across all competitions. In his MLS days, he racked up 22 goals and 31 assists in 132 matches.
The Rapids have now overhauled basically every position so far this offseason, excluding strikers. On the way out are Yarbrough, Danny Wilson, Jack Price, Sam Nicholson and Diego Rubio.
Coming in is a mix of youth and high-level experience. Along with the two incoming USMNT players, guys like winger Omir Fernandez and defender Miguel Navarro are poised to make a positive impact this season.
Perhaps the biggest need now is to sign a quality six, which the club says is a priority at this point. There are expected to be multiple additional inbound moves both domestically and internationally.
Acquiring a starting-quality six would take the weight off Connor Ronan and allow him to play more comfortably and create opportunities farther up the field, rather than playing out of the back like he often did last year.
Mihailovic’s vision and feel for the game allowed him to flourish during his six years in MLS — three with Chicago Fire and three with CF Montreal — before heading off to the Netherlands.
Both Mihailovic and Steffen are expected to be in Denver before the report date of Jan. 13.
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