In a blockbuster move in MLS, Toronto FC has acquired midfielder Djordje Mihailovic as part of a massive deal with the Colorado Rapids, per multiple reports.
The Rapids will receive a club-record fee in return for trading their star player, earning $8 million in the deal, plus $1 million in add-ons. There is also reportedly a sell-on clause that could result in additional money for Colorado.
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The Rapids reportedly rejected multiple offers on Milhailovic this summer, but things changed when Milhailovic, unhappy with the team, asked to leave.
Milhailovic has been the face of the Rapids’ franchise since joining the club in 2024. At the time, Colorado paid $3 million to acquire him from Netherlands squad Alkmaar Zaanstreek; in the year and a half since, his value has gone up.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder scored 11 goals and 10 assists last season, and is on pace for career-bests this year. So far, with the season just over halfway done, Milhailovic has notched nine goals and six assists. He earned three of those assists in a single game — a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 12.
Milhailovic started his soccer career as a homegrown player for the Chicago Fire, later playing for CF Montréal before heading to the Netherlands. He has 11 appearances and one goal for the U.S. men’s national team, sitting just outside the USMNT bubble. In Colorado, he really found his stride; now, he will try to bring that offensive presence to Toronto.
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And Toronto will need the help: The team is currently languishing toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, and have only five wins so far this season. They’ve scored only 25 goals this year so far — making them fourth worst in all of MLS.
But for Colorado, this might mark the end of any hope for results this season. The Rapids are currently in ninth place in the West, just within range for a playoff spot, but dealing away their main scoring threat is difficult to justify to frustrated fans. Without Mihailovic, Colorado’s primary scorer is Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro, who has nine goals and an assist this season.
