Minnesota United enters deadline day with unfinished business.

With the summer transfer window closing Wednesday, the Loons are looking to finalize the acquisition of Argentine attacking midfielder Joaquin Pereyra and maybe pull off an addition of a defensive midfielder.

The clock is ticking down to the midnight end of MLS’ midseason opportunity to wheel and deal.

If MNUFC is able to add Pereyra, the 25-year-old from Atletico Tucuman would come in as a Designated Player, the Pioneer Press understands. That would be two new DPs under Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad, along with striker Kelvin Yeboah who was added in July.

United has been linked in pursuits of two 22-year-old D-mids — Slovakian Tomas Rigo and Hungarian Mihaly Kata — but both efforts were reportedly thwarted by the players’ current clubs.

Are the Loons able to go back to those clubs on those players or turn to another prospect in the final hours?

With MNUFC purchasing Alejandro bBran’s contract from Costa Rican club Herediano and loaning him to Burton Albion in England’s League One, the Loons currently have two international slots available for new foreign players.

On the grass

Two of the new Loons additions — right back Matus Kmet and center back Jefferson Diaz — trained in Minnesota for the first time on Tuesday. Yeboah is expected to join them in Blaine on Wednesday.

During one drill, Diaz and Kmet were inserted into a potential starting back line for when the Loons are set to restart MLS play Aug. 24 versus Seattle Sounders. They were on the field with left wingback Joseph Rosales and center backs Micky Tapias and Michael Boxall.

Loons head coach Eric Ramsay commented on Kmet for the first time Tuesday. Kmet, 24, comes from AS Trencin on Slovakia’s top division.

“I think this is all worth putting into perspective relative to the level that he’s come from — of course, this is going to be a big step up (to MLS),” Ramsay said. “But definitely at that level, he’s a very technical player.”

With the Loons struggling to keep possession this season, Ramsay sees Kmet as a player who can add connection.

“He’s definitely someone that can add in that sense,” Ramsay said. “He’s very composed, not necessarily up and down, dynamic wing back/fullback type, but more on (he’s) going to be able to handle the ball, he’s gonna be able to create chances. He’s gonna be able to pass back inside the pitch to give the team some continuity in longer spells of possession. In that sense, I think he brings a different dimension.”

Kmet, who is listed at 5-foot-8, comes in as one of the smallest players on the team, while Diaz, who is marked at 6-foot-1, is one of the biggest.

Potential schedule conflict

If Seattle beats LAFC in Leagues Cup quarterfinals Saturday, the Loons-Sounders MLS game at Allianz Field on Aug. 24 will need to be rescheduled.

With a victory, the Sounders would be guaranteed a spot in either the Leagues Cup final or third-place match to be played on Aug. 25.

MNUFC has not played since July 30 and wants to get back on the field in a timely fashion. To build up to the planned game on Aug. 24, the Loons will have a closed intra-squad scrimmage this weekend.

It’s unclear when that potentially rescheduled game might take place. The Loons are next set to play at San Jose on Aug. 31.

Briefly

Leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi (hamstring) was progressing in his rehab Tuesday. He was jogging on the side and doing some ball work. … Sang Bin Jeong returned to MNUFC after taking an extended period to deal with a personal matter. He participated in training Tuesday. … If Pereyra gets done, the Loons will go with the three-DP route in roster building this season. They would need to use allocation money to buy down Robin Lod’s salary to take him off the DP line to be roster compliant. The three DPs will be Teemu Pukki, Yeboah and Pereyra.

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