It appears to be deja vu for Minnesota United.

Loons star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso has not reported to preseason training camp in Blaine over the past few days, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have shared with the Pioneer Press.

Rostered players, including Reynoso, were expected to arrive at the National Sports Center on Saturday, with training sessions beginning inside the dome practice field early this week.

Details of Reynoso’s current situation are not yet known.

The club said Friday it will open its first practice to reporters on Tuesday, and interim head coach Cameron Knowles is set to speak to media members after that session.

Last season, Reynoso did not report on time to preseason training in January, and it started a protracted absence during which MLS suspended him without pay from mid-February into May.

Reynoso, named an MLS All-Star in 2021-22, finally returned to MNUFC in early May, citing family issues for his prolonged absence. After reinstatement meetings, his suspension was lifted by the league and he returned to the field against Toronto FC on June 3.

The Loons were 5-6-4 before Reynoso returned to his central attacking midfielder role. They went 5-7-7 after Reynoso’s return, finished with a 10-13-11 record and missed the MLS Cup Playoffs as a club for the first time since 2018.

Reynoso finished with six goals and four primary assists in 18 MLS games last season.

Toward the end of last season, Reynoso told reporters the family dynamic that had kept him away was in his past.

Regardless of the status of its star player, MNUFC has enough on its plate going into the 2024 season, which kicks off Feb. 24 at Austin FC.

New Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad was hired in early November but still is in the process of obtaining his work visa before he can start in-person duties in his new job. As of Friday, the plan was for him to arrive in Minnesota from England this week.

El-Ahmad was hired to oversee the Loons’ sporting department and take up some of the duties that manager Adrian Heath had until he was fired in October.

In the transition phase, Sean McAuley was named interim head coach to replace Heath on the sideline for the final two games of 2023. In December, the club said McAuley would remain in his interim role to start the 2024 season. But in January, McAuley left MNUFC and Knowles was named interim head coach. McAuley was then hired as permanent head coach at Indy Eleven.

The Loons have received transfer interest for Reynoso from an undisclosed Brazilian club, the Pioneer Press understands. Reynoso has been linked to Brazilian club Vasco de Gama this winter, but that is not the club MNUFC has heard from, one source said.

The Loons place a higher value on Reynoso, 28, and would need to see a fee that reaches that level in order to contemplate a move, a source said.

In September 2022, the Loons signed Reynoso to a three-year contract through the 2025 season. MLS Players’ Association listed Reynoso’s guaranteed compensation for the 2023 season at $2.1 million, making him the second-highest paid player on the club behind striker Teemu Pukki.

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