The Minnesota Vikings are “stepping up” talks with Major League Soccer about bringing a team to the Twin Cities, a team official told a group of metro-area business leaders Tuesday.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Minnesota Association for Corporate Growth, Lester Bagley, the Vikings’ vice president of public affairs, said the team and its ownership are working to secure an MLS expansion franchise to play in the team’s new downtown Minneapolis stadium.

“We’ve been stepping up our conversations with the MLS,” Bagley said after the luncheon, adding that “there are definitely other interests in the market.”

Those other interests include Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad and Bill McGuire, owner of the Minnesota United FC minor league soccer team, who confirmed last week that they have teamed up to launch a bid of their own.

Bagley also pointed out during the luncheon that the Vikings stadium was designed to host — among other events — soccer games. It is outfitted with a “house reduction mechanism” that reduces its seating capacity from 65,000 to between 20,000 and 30,000 for a more intimate feel, he said.