One day, Tani Oluwaseyi will be able sit his grandkid on his knee and tell him or her an incredible story. It might even be on the same knee cap he dislocated during his senior year at St. John’s (N.Y.) University, the knee that bothered him at the start of his pro career with Minnesota United.
From humble beginnings in Nigeria to a boyhood move to Ontario, Oluwaseyi will be able to share how he was drafted 17th overall in the 2022 MLS draft but missed most of his rookie season with the Loons because of issues with his knee, as well as a few hamstring strains.
Minnesota United FC chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad speaks with reporters Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025 after the team’s activity during the June 24-July 31 MLS summer transfer window at the National Sports Center in Blaine. (Andy Greder / Pioneer Press)
He only played for MNUFC2, the club’s developmental team, that first year, but Oluwaseyi’s rise began in 2023 with 16 goals and seven assists while on loan with San Antonio in the USL Championship, followed by eight goals and five primary assists with the Loons in 2024 and 10 goals and seven assists this season.
And his best might be yet to come.
Minnesota completed a transfer of Oluwaseyi to Villarreal on Friday, and the 25-year-old will now be able to play in La Liga, one of the best leagues in the world. With a new contract through 2030, he will be able to play against mega clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona, and in the UEFA Champions League starting this season.
The Loons will receive a transfer fee of approximately $9 million for Oluwaseyi, and holds on to an undisclosed sell-on percentage if the Canadian international moves to another club.
The transfer fee is far and away a club record for MNUFC.
“I think everyone should be super proud,” Loons chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad said this week. “I know the teammates are, and I think the coaches are, as well, that we are getting that (kind of) interest in players, that Minnesota is a real club in the sense of developing high-level talent.”
The previous top outbound fee was roughly $2 million for Romario Ibarra to Pachuca in Mexico’s Liga MX in 2020, followed by Sang Bin Jeong for at least $1.6 million to St. Louis City in July, and Micky Tapias to Guadalajara for about $1 million last year.
While $9 million is certainly good for the future, it doesn’t help the Loons’ pursuit of a trophy this year. Oluwaseyi led the team with 17 goal contributions, seven more than No. 2 Joaquin Pereyra (10). His two-way work ethic has helped MNUFC climb to second place in the Western Conference and into the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
But Oluwaseyi’s climb to the higher echelons of the sport is the understood, yet bittersweet rub for MLS, which is high-level soccer but not, say, the NBA, NFL, NHL or Major League Baseball.
“So, when you get an offer in, you look at it,” El-Ahmad said. “Is it something the player wants? Because we also want to be an environment where we not only a make a dream happen with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but also for some of our own players to move on.
“Is it the right thing for the club, which means, potentially, the timing or the price that you get? And the third one: Does it help us also short term and medium to long term? So, you look at all aspects.”
The Loons are expected to use the $9 million in a variety of ways: salaries, infrastructure in Blaine and toward future transfer fees. The final determination will be made by the club’s ownership group. But don’t expect United to buy a player at a similar price point. MNUFC’s top incoming transfer fee — $5 million for Emmanuel Reynoso in 2019 — is safe for now.
El-Ahmad was asked if the club has the wherewithal and desire to spend in that ballpark to get a difference maker on the international market. “I think, over time, potentially,” he said.
This summer, the club spent $2.5 million on Greek defensive midfielder Nectarios Triantis and $2.1 million on Austrian attacking midfielder Dominik Fitz. That is in the same ballpark the club spent each on Kelvin Yeboah and Pereyra last summer.
Los Angeles FC spent an MLS record $26 million to bring in Son Heung-min from Tottenham in July.
“I don’t think Minnesota is there at this moment,” El-Ahmad said about the Son deal. “We’re all aligned in the process and continue to improve. If it happens at some point, I would bring it to the ownership group. But at this moment, we’re not there yet.
“I think by showing that we can grow value and sell players, you’re starting to create a narrative that we might be ready for something like that at some point in the future.”
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