Minnesota United has completed the singing of attacker Darwin Quintero, the first designated player in the club’s brief history.
Quintero, 30, comes to MLS from Mexican giants Club America, where he scored 26 goals in all competitions over four seasons. But his production has dipped recently, with only two Liga MX goals in each of the past two campaigns.
As a designated player, Minnesota can pay Quintero a seven-figure salary and only have about $500,000 count against its salary budget. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Quintero’s salary is likely to be revealed later this year in MLS players’ union data.
“Bringing a player with Darwin’s quality and pedigree is another step in the right direction for this club,” Minnesota manager Adrian Heath said in a statement. “He’s a player with the finishing of a striker and the vision to open play up, he’s got great technical ability and our players will enjoy playing with him.
Minnesota did not sign a designated player last season, its first in MLS, while talks earlier this year to sign attacking midfielder Nicolas Benedetti fell through.
Quintero, a former Colombia international, arrived in Minnesota on Wednesday to a sizable reception from fans at the airport.
He joined America in 2015 after scoring 92 goals in all competitions over six and a half seasons with Santos Laguna, another Mexican club.
Before moving to Mexico, Quintero spent a year in Russia with Krylia Sovetov and also played for Deportivo Pereira in his native country. He made 12 appearances with the Colombia national team, most recently in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Pioneer Press reported on Thursday that Minnesota is also working on adding Peru international Alexi Gomezon on an initial loan from Universitario.
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