Minnesota United is making a statement about what type of Major League Soccer club they aspire to be.

The Loons have interest in a young Designated Player who could be the club’s attacking midfielder of the future, a source told the Pioneer Press on Friday night.

The Loons have been targeting Thomas Chacon, an 18-year-old playmaker from Uruguay. He has played in his native country’s top division and for the multiple levels of its national team.

The source said it’s believed to be a long-term contract with a “large” transfer fee. It’s unclear how advanced Minnesota’s pursuit of Chacon was on Friday night, but the Loons have one week to complete a deal before the summer transfer window closes next Friday.

Chacon played Uruguay’s national team in the under-20 World Cup in Poland in May. He has made 22 appearances for the U20 team and 26 for the U17 side.

For Danubio FC in the capital of Montevideo, Chacon has scored two goals in 1,016 minutes across 13 games, according to soccerway.com. The 5-foot-4 player, with a favorited right foot, has been with Danubio since he was 16 and came up through its youth academy.

An Vimeo highlight package of Chacon showed him playing primarily on the left side while displaying skill on the ball and playmaking ability. He showed passion when scoring chances weren’t converted by teammates.

Minnesota’s pursuit of Chacon can be put in a similar category as the chase of Colombian Nicholas Benedetti after the club’s inaugural season in MLS in 2017. The Loons attempted to bring in the attacking midfielder, but couldn’t put a deal together with the now 22-year-old and his club Deportivo Cali. He has since transferred to Club America, one of the premier clubs in Mexico’s Liga MX.

Chacon would headline Minnesota’s list of new additions this summer. United signed Finnish midfielder Robin Lod to a higher-level, multi-year deal on July 16 and then added French left Will Moimbe-Tahrat on a free transfer July 23.

For the first year-plus as an MLS club, United didn’t have a DP but reached the maximum of three before this season. Attacking midfielder Darwin Quintero was signed in March 2018; striker Angelo Rodriguez was added in July 2018; and central midfielder Jan Gregus joined in December 2018. Their salaries, which do not count against Minnesota’s MLS budget, range from $667,000 to $1.75 million. Each are established players older than 28.

According to MLS rules, a young Designated Player under 20 will carry a budget charge of $150,000.

News outlets in Uruguay began reporting the Chacon news on Friday.