The Vikings bought 185 acres of land in Eagan on Tuesday, laying a path to move the team's home base from Winter Park in Eden Prairie.
Team owners Mark and Zygi Wilf announced the closing on the land, but stopped short of saying the move is a done deal.
In a news release, Zygi Wilf said the site "offers many positive attributes, including space and flexibility, proximity to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as to the airport, and an opportunity to transform a vacant piece of property for the benefit of the community and the region."
But Mark Wilf, team president, was more cautious in his statement: "While completing this purchase is the next step in the potential relocation of the team's headquarters and training facility, several steps remain before a conclusion is reached."
In August, the owners publicly announced that they were in talks to buy the land with an eye toward moving the team's practice facility, consolidating three office spaces and updating all facilities. In October, the Eagan City Council unanimously endorsed the broad outlines of a project.
In comments to the council before the vote, Vikings executives outlined a multiphased plan for a suburban town center with housing, a hotel, retail, restaurants, office space, team practice facilities and a stadium to seat up to 10,000 that could be used for high school games.
Since the council's vote of support in October, the Vikings and city staff have been in private discussions about the possible move and the development. The status of those talks isn't public, but Council Member Cyndee Fields said elected officials get frequent updates from staff and she's heard of no potential snags.
"I would say we're very optimistic and quite excited," she said.
