While Minnesota United has been making inroads to bolster its roster before the summer transfer window closes Thursday, other players might be headed out.
Villareal’s pursuit of Tani Oluwaseyi surfaced on Sunday and has been heating up this week.
El Periodico Mediterraneo in Spain reported Tuesday the Spanish club was “optimistic” it could sign the Loons forward before their own window closes Sept. 1.
On Wednesday, GiveMeSport said Villarreal is “closing in a deal” for a fee in the ballpark of $7.5 million, which would be a record outgoing fee for MNUFC.
The reported fee for Oluwaseyi over the weekend was closer to $4-5 million.
United has also been approached by Turkish club Trabzonspor with an $8 million offer for midfielder Joaquin Pereyra, per Argentine journalist César Luis Merlo on Tuesday. The Loons acquired the Argentine attacker for roughly $2 million from Club Atletico Tucuman last summer, so that newly reported fee for Pereyra would be an enticing return for United.
The Loons sit in second place in the Western Conference and have a spot in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, but that kind of offer for Oluwaseyi and Pereyra might be too good to pass up for its leading scorer and its top creator.
Oluwaseyi, 25, has scored 10 goals and added seven assists in 1,828 MLS minutes across 23 matches this season. Pereyra, 26, has three goals and six assists in 1,985 MLS minutes across 26 matches this year.
Coming out of St. John’s, Oluwaseyi was the 17th pick in the 2022 draft and has blossomed after an injury-marred first season. He had 16 goals on loan at San Antonio in 2023, then eight goals and give assists in 1,084 minutes in 2024.
Pereyra had a slow start to his MLS tenure a year ago, with no goals and one assist in only 407 regular-season minutes.
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