A big transfer rumor connected to Minnesota United surfaced Sunday, but it was not in the direction Loons fans have been pining for since the summer transfer window opened.
Instead of a report to a potential incoming player, Loons forward Tani Oluwaseyi has been linked to a move to Villarreal, according to multiple posts in Europe.
Reporter Matteo Moretto said Oluwaseyi is “very close” to the club in Spain’s La Liga. Fellow journalist Sacha Tavolieri said MNUFC is asking for $5 million “to close the deal.” That sum would be a Minnesota club record for an outgoing transfer fee.
Last week, GiveMeSport said the Loons turned down a bid of more than $4 million for Oluwaseyi. Two weeks ago, the Pioneer Press heard MNUFC was not keen to move on from its 25-year-old Canadian international this summer.
If Oluwaseyi were to depart now, the Loons would lose an integral piece and the club’s prospects for 2025 would suffer as a result. Oluwaseyi has helped United climb to second place in the Western Conference and he’s aided in the run to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
Oluwaseyi is having his best season in MLS with 10 goals and seven assists in 1,828 MLS minutes this season and has become a two-way player, with strong defensive actions.
After Minnesota’s 1-0 win over Seattle, Oluwaseyi was hanging out in a jovial Loons’ dressing room, joking with teammates — far from saying somber goodbyes to friends.
Since the window opened in late July, MNUFC has had four players leave during the summer transfer window, but has had no new additions. The deadline drops Thursday.
La Liga’s window doesn’t close until Sept. 1.
Oluwaseyi signed a new contract with the Loons after last season, when he produced eight goals and five assists in 1,084 minutes. He is earning $558,750 in guaranteed compensation this season; his deal runs through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028.
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