Minnesota United FC have completed the transfer of Paraguay forward Luis Amarilla from Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield, the team announced on Saturday.
The announcement stated that Amarilla’s Designated Player contract was for two years plus two club options. Sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN the Loons paid a $1.4 million transfer fee, with Velez receiving 20% should Minnesota United decide to transfer Amarilla at a later date. The player will join the Loons pending a medical examination and receipt of his P1 visa and ITC.
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Amarilla, 26, has spent the last three years on loan from Velez, including a previous stint with the Loons in 2020. Meanwhile, Amarilla has scored three goals with one assist in 10 appearances, although he has struggled against an ankle injury during this campaign. .
“We are delighted to welcome him back. He still owes us 23 goals, whereas he promised us 25 when he arrived here in 2020,” said MNUFC manager Adrian Heath. “We thought then that he would be a consistent goalscorer in the league and we feel the same again. He had another very productive year [in Quito] and we felt that when the opportunity came, it was too good to turn down.
“There is a feeling of unfinished business and he has expressed a real desire to come back. With Luis there is a certain familiarity that you don’t always get with international players. We know him and we know what kind of character we get on and off the pitch. The competition for places will be fierce, but we think he will be a big plus for us this year. »
Amarilla has just completed a season on loan with Ecuadorian side LDU Quito, during which he scored 15 goals in 31 league and cup appearances. Among the players he will have to contend with for playing time are Adrien Hunou and fellow returnee Abu Danladi, as well as U22 Initiative signing Bongokuhle Hiongwane.
“It’s a comeback that I wanted. I wanted to come back. I wanted to come back. More than that, it’s a city that I find fantastic,” said striker Luis Amarilla. “I am very happy and with all the desire to go there and play. To me, [2020] was not the season I wanted, because of my injury. But today, I am here with the hope and the ambition to do things well, to do things differently. Let’s hope it’s a great year. Amarilla started his career in his home country with Club Libertad. Although he failed to score in 13 appearances in four seasons, he spent some of that time on loan with Club 3 de Febrero and Sol de America. He moved to Velez in 2017 but it was a loan spell in 2019 with Ecuadorian side Universidad Católica where he made a name for himself, scoring 20 goals in 26 league and cup appearances.
At international level, Amarilla has made four appearances for Paraguay, making his debut in 2021.