Khaled El-Ahmad made only small ripples with player additions during the primary transfer window earlier this season.

Now Minnesota United’s Chief Soccer Officer has completed a move he and the club hope can make a big splash.

MNUFC announced Saturday the signing of 24-year-old striker Kelvin Yeboah to a 3 1/2-year Designated Player contract trough 2027, with a club option for 2028. The Loons will pay Italian club Genoa a transfer fee of approximately 3.2 million.

“Kelvin is an exciting young player that already has vast playing experience amongst some of the best soccer players across the globe along with world-class clubs,” El-Ahmad said in a statement. “Minnesota welcomes Kelvin, and I look forward to seeing the impact he can make within our club.”

Yeboah has played in Italy’s Serie A, the German Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and the Belgium Pro League A, but the 6-foot forward has not played more than 720 minutes in a season since 2021-22.

Yeboah had 15 goal contributions (11 goals and four assists) for Sturm Graz that season, leading to his transfer to Genoa. He then got caught in a cycle of three loan moves to Augsburg, Montpellier and Standard Liege and failed to play significant minutes.

Since February at Standard Liege, he had six goals in 14 games in all competitions. He averaged an impressive 0.82 goals per 90 minutes across his six league games this year, per fbref.com.

Yeboah, who was in Minnesota to complete medical exams this week, said he was impressed by what MNUFC presented.

“The most important thing is always the project, from the soccer staff to my teammates, all the way up to ownership,” Yeboah said in a statement. “I loved the way the team and the club has been presented to me. Everyone here has ambitions to win and that’s what I want to be a part of.

“I will bring a mentality to never give up and always give my best,” Yeboah continued. “Fans will see me on the field playing with passion and screaming and giving my all. My mentality, mixed with my speed, strength and technical ability will help me succeed here in Minnesota. My goal is to influence the game as much as possible.”

The Loons’ history with DP strikers has had more misses than hits, including mostly underwhelming stints with Angelo Rodriguez, Adrien Hunou, Luis Amarilla and Mender Garcia. The addition of Yeboah could signal the pending end for current DP striker Teemu Pukki; the 34-year-old has 14 goals in 1,907 minutes across two seasons in Minnesota. His contract is up next July.

Yeboah, who was born in Ghana and is a Italian citizen, will occupy an international roster spot with Loons and will be eligible to play pending his immigration paperwork.