Fagundez 'never said that I want to leave,' remains focused on 2019 season

FOXBOROUGH — The thing about those pesky rumors? That’s all they tend to be: rumor and speculation.

At least that’s what it is, for now.

After several days of social media gossip centering around his future, Revolution Homegrown midfielder Diego Fagundez on Tuesday morning shut down talk of him leaving, saying that he is happy on Route 1, and that he never said he wants to leave the Original Ten outfit.

“I know there’s quotes out there saying that I want to leave the Revs, and to be honest, I’ve never said that I want to leave,” Fagundez said prior to the initial training session of the season at Gillette Stadium. “Don’t get me wrong: I’m happy here. I did say that if it worked out for everyone, then of course, we’d try to make it happen.”

Speculation over the weekend noted that Club Nacional de Football of Montevideo, Uruguay — where Fagundez was born in 1995 — showed an interest in the Revs’ first Homegrown signing, who emigrated to the United States when he was five.

In addition, Fagundez reportedly spoke on Uruguayan radio — Sport 890 — about the offer, and reportedly said, “We’re doing … as much as I can to get my way out of here to get to Nacional.”



https://twitter.com/SebasGiovanelli/status/1087692615716425728

According to Fagundez, Nacional reached out to him.

“The first thing I said to them is that I’m under contract and it’s probably going to be hard for me to leave,” the Leominster resident said. “The coaching staff really likes me here, I’m in a good spot, and I’ve been starting a lot. They were going to do all they could to send an offer and see what (New England) said. At the end of the day, it’s not up to me: it’s up to the club to decide. I think I have it easy: wait it out, be professional, be ready to play, and just stay focused.

“I’m still under contract for a year, and I have my options years. If the Revs pick (the option) up, they pick it up. If they don’t, we’ll see where it all goes. It’s a new year and I’m trying to focus on this year, (and) do well. At the end of the season, if they offer me something, then we can sit and talk, and if not, then we know we need to find something. But like I said, it was all quick stuff. They asked me to reach out. It all happened so quick that I didn’t really have time to say anything. I just told them to reach out to the Revs, and if they were interested, they would say it.”

Fagundez noted that the Revolution rejected Nacional’s offer.

“I think it’s one of those things is if it happens, it happens. Right now, they said no to them, so there’s no point to keep going. Right now I just have to keep focused, get ready for preseason, and do what I can to prepare for our season to start,” he said.

Nacional plays in the Uruguayan Primera, the top division of Uruguayan football. It finished second in the 2018 season to cross-town Clasico rival Peñarol. Nacional will compete in this year’s Copa Libertadores, which begins in April.

Fagundez said that Nacional is an attractive destination should the Tricolores come back with an improved offer.

“If everyone in the party is happy for it, of course I’m going to go. How could I say no? (Nacional) play Copa Libertadores, they play Clasicos,” he said. “It’s different, but like I said, the Revs already made the decision. I had nothing to do with it because I’m under contract, so it was an easy way for me to go with it.”

Fagundez has scored 50 league goals in his Revolution career, and 51 total in all competitions. He signed as a Homegrown player in November 2010.