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.

After using six pitchers to get through an 8-5 loss to Detroit on Saturday night, the Twins recalled Genesis Cabrera from Class AAA St. Paul to help the bullpen get through Sunday’s series finale.

A veteran with 296 major league games under his belt, Cabrera, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Twins on Aug. 12 after spending parts of this season in the Mets, Cubs and Pirates organizations. He made one appearance for the Saints, allowing two hits (one of them a home run) and a walk and fanning one.

To make room on the 26-man active roster, the Twins optioned right-hander Travis Adams to St. Paul. To make room on the 40-man, the team transferred outfielder Alan Roden to the 60-day injured list, ending his season. He has a sprained left thumb and is scheduled to see a specialist on Monday.

Roden, 25, was acquired from Toronto in the deal that sent Louie Varland to Toronto at the July 21 trade deadline. He hit .158 with a home run and one RBI in 12 games for Minnesota before injuring his thumb while sliding head first into home plate last Thursday.

MANUFACTURING

Edric Funk

The Toro Co., a Bloomington-based maker of lawn mowers and snow removal machines for consumers and businesses, announced that Edric C. Funk has been appointed president and chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1. Funk is a 29-year veteran of the company, most recently serving as group vice president of Golf, Grounds and Irrigation.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Stearns Bank, St. Cloud, announced that Heather Braithwaite has joined as vice president, director of sustainable energy. Prior to Stearns Bank, Braithwaite served as chief investment officer at the Collective Clean Energy Fund.

FOOD

Hormel Foods Corp., an Austin, Minn.-based provider of grocery store prepared food brands, announced the following leadership appointments in its Retail business segment: Paul Peil, promoted to vice president of marketing for Fresh and Ready Meats, and Christie Crouch joins as vice president of marketing for Snacking and Entertaining. Peil, a 35-year company veteran, most recently was assistant vice president of sales for Value-Added Meats; Crouch most recently served as vice president and general manager at Conagra Brands.

HEALTH CARE

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a Center City-based provider of substance use and mental health treatment and research, announced the following additions to its Board of Trustees: Patrick Denzer, president of LI Ventures; Dr. Christopher Keir, vice president and global head of medical affairs at ADC Therapeutics; Dr. Monica Mayer, emergency medicine physician and enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara nation, and Cini Robb, president of FACE Foundation and a member of the La Jolla Scripps Hospital advisory board.

HONORS

Mulcahy Co., an Eagan-based supplier of HVAC equipment, announced that CEO Rob Grady has received a 2025 Leadership Award by Vistage, a CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize businesses.

HOSPITALITY

Carlson Inc., a Minnetonka-based global travel and hospitality brand and private investment firm, announced the appointment of Scott C. Gage as its non-executive chair of the board, effective Aug. 8. Gage previously served as co-chair of Carlson Holdings, chair of the Carlson Real Estate Committee and past co-chair of the Carlson Family Trust Co. He succeeds Richard (Rick) C. Gage, who will remain a member of the Carlson board.

LAW

The Southeastern Legal Foundation, a Georgia-based organization that defends constitutional rights, announced the hire of Minnesota attorney James Dickey as a lead counsel. Dickey most recently served as a lead and later managing attorney at the Upper Midwest Law Center, Golden Valley. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced the expansion of its Mergers & Acquisitions Group with the addition of Jake Heck, associate; Dan Lenhardt, senior associate, and returning associate Mitchell Stauch. … SiebenCarey, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Susan M. Holden was inducted as a Fellow into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers during the organization’s 2025 Mid-Year Meeting.

LABOR

The Minnesota Newspaper & Communications Guild announced the hiring of Debbie Prokopf as executive officer, effective Aug. 25, succeeding Candace Lund. Prokopf is director of special projects at the Minnesota Training Partnership. The Guild represents employees of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

MANUFACTURING

Denali Campers, a Pine River, Minn.-based maker of off-road recreational campers and trailers, announced its rebrand and name change to Iron Peak Campers.

RETAIL

Dick’s Sporting Goods, a national chain, announced the opening a second Twin Cities outlet store, located in Tamarack Village at I-94 and Radio Drive in Woodbury. … Acme Tools, a Grand Forks, N.D.-based hardware store chain, announced the opening of a location at 808 Apache Lane SW, Rochester.

TECHNOLOGY

Entrust, a Minneapolis-based provider of money transfer and data security services for business, announced the following promotions to its leadership team: Mike Baxter, promoted to president and chief technology and product officer; Patrick Steele, to chief sales officer, and Kelsey Holthus, promoted to chief human resources officer.

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EMAIL ITEMS to businessnews@pioneerpress.com.

By PAN PYLAS

LONDON (AP) — Terence Stamp, the British actor who often played the role of a complex villain, including that of General Zod in the early Superman films, has died. He was 87.

His death on Sunday was disclosed in a death notice published online.

The London-born Stamp started his film career with 1962’s seafaring “Billy Budd,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination.

Stamp’s six decades in the business were peppered with highlights, including his touching portrayal of the transsexual Bernadette in 1994’s “The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Stamp also was widely praised for his lead in director Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 crime drama “The Limey.”

But it will be his portrayal of the bearded Zod in 1978’s “Superman” and its sequel “Superman II” two years later that most people associate with Stamp. As the Kryptonian arch enemy to Christopher Reeve’s Man of Steel, Stamp introduced a darker and charming — more human — element to the franchise, one that’s been replicated in countless superhero movies ever since.

Stamp started out his film career in the early 1960s as part of the “angry young men” movement that was introducing an element of social realism into British moviemaking.

That was perhaps most notable in the 1965 adaptation of John Fowles’ creepy debut novel “The Collector,” where he played the awkward and lonely Freddie Clegg, who kidnapped Samantha Eggar’s Miranda Grey in a warped attempt to win her love. It was a performance that would earn the young Stamp, fresh off his Oscar nomination, the best actor award at 1965’s Cannes Film Festival.

While part of that 1960s British movement, Stamp learned from some of the most seasoned actors from the classical era, including Laurence Olivier.

“I worked with Olivier briefly on my second movie (1962’s “Term of Trial),” Stamp recalled in an interview with the AP in 2013. “And he said to me, ‘You should always study your voice.’” Stamp then segued into a spot-on Olivier impersonation, continuing, “‘Because, as you get older, your looks go, but your voice will become empowered.’”

Born in London’s East End on July 22, 1938, Stamp lived a colorful life, particularly during the 1960s when he had a string of romances, including with actress Julie Christie and model Jean Shrimpton. He married 29-year-old Elizabeth O’Rourke in 2002 at the age of 64 but the couple divorced six years later. Stamp did not have any children.

Stamp retained his looks as the years ticked by, his natural handsomeness hardened by a more grizzled look.

He generally sought to keep his standards high, but up to a point.

“I don’t do crappy movies, unless I haven’t got the rent,” he said.