Emanuel Reynoso might be headed south of the border.

Reporter Cesar Luis Merlo said Tuesday that Minnesota United’s standout midfielder had “signed” with Club Tijuana in Mexico’s Liga MX, but the MLS all-star midfielder’s exit from the Loons is not yet done, the Pioneer Press has learned. The Athletic reported the two clubs are in “advanced talks.”

Liga MX has been a popular possible destination for Reynoso; the 28-year-old was linked to FC Juarez last week.

Reynoso returned from a seven-week unexcused absence in his native Argentina approximately May 10. He had missed his team-organized U.S. green card meeting in his native country in late March and remained there against MNUFC’s wishes.

The recent actions of Reynoso, who has played in one MLS game this season, damaged his relationships within MNUFC. Captain Michael Boxall said last week that despite Reynoso’s return to Minnesota that Boxall hadn’t seen him and Reynoso was “out of sight, out of mind.”

Reynoso has been put on a return-to-play protocol and has not trained with the Loons’ first team since coming back to Minnesota. He has been shown on Apple TV at the Loons’ last two home games at Allianz Field.

Reynoso also missed the opening five months of the 2023 season before coming back and contributing 10 goals (six scored and four primary assists) in 18 games. In between the two prolonged absences, Reynoso missed the opening week of training camp in Blaine in January before joining his teammates for preseason work in Arizona the following week.

United paid a $5 million transfer fee to acquire Reynoso from Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires in 2020. The potential suitor clubs this time around will know of the Reynoso’s current strained situation with MNUFC and are likely looking for a bargain deal.

If the Loons sell Reynoso, new Loons Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad would need to navigate the best possible transfer and recoup as much of that fee as possible.

Reynoso is the Loons second-highest paid player at $2.2 million this year; he is currently signed through the end of the 2025 MLS season. If the Loons unload Reynoso, it would open up one of their three Designated Player spots for bigger additions in the summer transfer window in July and August.

As veteran quarterback Sam Darnold made his way to the podium on Tuesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, he joked that it’s been a long time since he has spoken to reporters.

Though he did actually speak to reporters a couple of months ago after signing with the Vikings in free agency, it has been awhile since Darnold has had all of the responsibilities that come with being a starting quarterback in the NFL. He served as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers last season, and thus, did not have to regularly speak to reporters.

That’s about to change now that Darnold is in line to be the starter for the Vikings this season, an opportunity that isn’t lost on him as he tries to revitalize his career.

“It’s awesome to be able to come out here,” said Darnold, who signed a 1-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings. “Obviously to a new team I wasn’t really sure what the vibe was going to be like. These guys have been awesome. They’ve welcomed me with open arms, and I know a lot of the new guys feel the same exact way.”

With the Vikings in the early stages of organized team activities, Darnold has been taking the reps with the starters while he learns as much as he can from head coach Kevin O’Connell, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, among others.

“I enjoy the process of learning a new offense,” Darnold said. “Obviously a lot of hard work has to go into it, and I still am learning a ton.”

Meanwhile, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is learning the ropes after being selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan. There already seems to be a genuine connection between Darnold and McCarthy despite the fact that they will be battling each other for playing time this fall.

“He’s been asking questions and I’ve been answering,” Darnold said. “We’re just going to continue to have that bond.”

It’s funny because not too long ago Darnold was a young player himself after being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Southern California. Now he’s mentoring a young player and taking a lot of pride in it. What has been the biggest lesson he’s learned so far?

“Just being able to play consistent football, I think, is the hardest thing in this league,” Darnold said. “That’s what I’m continuing to set out to do.”

He has struggled to string good games together throughout his NFL career, whether it be as a starter for the New York Jets or the Carolina Panthers. He’s hoping to change that now that he’s in line to be the starter for the Vikings.

“That’s kind of been the biggest hurdle,” Darnold said. “Just continuing to stack good weeks on top of good weeks this season is my goal.”

Briefly

Not surprisingly, star receiver Justin Jefferson was not present at OTAs as he and his representatives continue to negotiate a contract extension.

Related Articles

Vikings sign veteran tight end Robert Tonyan

Here’s a look at the Vikings schedule with a breakdown of each game

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been preparing for this moment

Five players to keep an eye on at Vikings rookie minicamp

What will Vikings’ depth chart look like next season? Here’s a projection.

WASHINGTON — Democrats introduced legislation Tuesday that would prohibit U.S. officials from accepting money, payments or gifts from foreign governments without congressional consent, their response to a yearslong probe into former President Donald Trump’s overseas business dealings.

The proposal led by Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Richard Blumenthal would enforce the Constitution’s ban on emoluments, which prohibits the president from accepting foreign gifts and money without Congress’ permission. Democrats say Trump brazenly ignored the clause as president as foreign government officials flocked to his hotels and properties.

“Although we have not needed to develop a full-blown legislative machinery to enforce the Emoluments Clause for more than two centuries, Congress must now enact a law to prevent Presidents from ever again exploiting the presidency for self-enrichment by selling out our government to foreign states,” Raskin said in a statement Tuesday.

The legislation is unlikely to advance in Congress, particularly in the House, which Republicans control. But Democrats say the reform is necessary after a lengthy investigation by their House Oversight Committee staff found that Trump’s businesses received nearly $8 million from 20 foreign governments during his presidency.

It outlined how foreign governments and their entities poured millions into various Trump properties, including the Trump International Hotels in Washington and Las Vegas as well as two Trump properties in New York. The payees ranged from China to Saudi Arabia to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report states that the Chinese government made the largest total payment to Trump’s private business interests through their various financial institutions, some of which were under investigation by the Justice Department while Trump was in office. Saudi Arabia is also cited as spending hundreds of thousands of dollars at Trump’s properties around the time the former president signed an arms deal with the Saudi government worth more than $100 billion.

The 156-page report provided what Democrats purport is concrete evidence of improper activity by Trump. Republicans have unsuccessfully tried to accuse President Joe Biden of such activity as part of their impeachment inquiry.

GOP lawmakers have asserted that the president’s family has traded on the Biden name, by trying to link a handful of phone calls or dinner meetings between Biden, when he was vice president or out of office, and his son Hunter Biden and his business associates.

However, Republicans have not been able to produce evidence that shows Joe Biden was directly involved or benefited from his family’s businesses while in public office.

Government ethics lawyers condemned Trump’s decision to hold onto his vast business empire after taking office, saying the decision provided ample opportunity for people who want to influence U.S. policy to curry favor with the president.

In response, Trump and his legal team asserted that critics are misinterpreting the emoluments clauses, saying that the framers of the Constitution did not intend for them to cover fair-value transactions between a business and its customers, such as offering a hotel room for the night for payment.

The legislation would specifically ban federal officeholders — the president, vice president, members of the Cabinet, members of Congress and other senior officials — from accepting future payments while in office and for two years after leaving office without first obtaining Congress’ approval. It would also expand to include money and gifts directly or indirectly from members of royal families and state-controlled enterprises.

To maintain oversight of any conflicts, the bill would require federal officials going forward to include any foreign payments they have received on their annual ethics disclosure forms.

Related Articles

What are the betting odds for first Donald Trump-Joe Biden debate?

Donald Trump won’t testify at hush money trial as defense rests its case

Trump campaign calls ‘The Apprentice’ ‘blatantly false,’ director offers to screen it for him

Trump or Biden? Either way, US seems poised to preserve heavy tariffs on imports

Election deniers moving closer to GOP mainstream, report shows, as Trump allies fill Congress