The Colorado Rapids brought in what the team believes to be a game-changing signing Monday.
The Rapids announced the signing of Brazilian striker Rafael Navarro to a designated player contract on loan from Palmeiras, with an option to make the transfer permanent. It came less than a day after The Post confirmed the deal was finalized.
He will be in Commerce City for a 12-month loan that will end June 30, 2024, and Colorado will have the option to acquire him permanently after that. The Athletic confirmed the terms of the deal, which The Post was able to verify on Sunday: Colorado paid Palmeiras $500,000 for the loan fee and if the club opts to purchase at the end of the deal, it would cost an additional $4.5 million — which would top the previous club record transfer fee of $2.7 million for Juan Ramírez in February 2015.
“We’re thrilled to add a striker of Rafael’s quality to our roster as we continue our push to get back into the playoff race,” team president Pádraig Smith said in a club statement. “Rafael is a talented and tenacious player who will bring a goal-scoring threat and experience at the highest levels in South America to the club. We believe he can immediately improve our attacking core and look forward to welcoming him to Colorado.”
Navarro — listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds — had 11 goals and four assists in 65 appearances for Palmeiras since he arrived in 2022. Eight goals and two assists came in the Copa Libertadores, a continental competition. In 2021 with Botofogo, he was the third-highest goal scorer in the Brazilian second division with 15 goals and nine assists.
Roster-wise, all three designated player slots are full with the other two spots occupied by Danish center back Andreas Maxsø and French striker Kévin Cabral, both of whom arrived in the 2023 offseason. It is the second inbound move Colorado has made since the secondary transfer market window opened up last Wednesday, as it also brought in left back Andrew Gutman for $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
Colorado (3-10-8, 17 points) will host Portland at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for a condensed game, just the 45-plus minutes for the second half of a match that was postponed by weather July 4.
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