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ESPN staff 8y

Penarol chief wants Diego Forlan return amid lack of other offers

Penarol president Juan Pedro Damiani has said he is asking Diego Forlan to return to the club this season.

The 37-year-old retired Uruguay international returned to his boyhood club for the 2015-16 season, helping Penarol to the Apertura title in the Uruguay first division by scoring eight goals in 31 appearances.

This past June, the 2010 Golden Ball winner for best player at the 2010 World Cup and the two-time Pichichi trophy winner said he would be leaving the club, but has not said where he might land.

Damiani said it would make sense for Forlan to return.

"I called him on Saturday to ask him to come back to Penarol," Damiani told Uruguay radio. "I think that with the team we have put together, this is an ideal moment for him. Bringing him back is something I feel passionate about. A lot of people have been unfair to Diego. Uruguay fans are very critical and demanding. They should look at how many assists Diego contributed."

Last month, Forlan, whose career took him to Manchester United, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Brazilian club Internacional, told Uruguay radio that he would not play in Argentina or Brazil, admitted that he has had no offers from Major League Soccer, but insisted that he did not want to retire.

"I met with Atletico Paranaense [Brazil] but we couldn't reach an agreement," Forlan said. "I would like to keep playing and I am listening to all offers. I didn't hear anything from the United States. I am looking for a proposal that is more than just football so I am in no hurry."

He said he left Penarol because he had fulfilled his dream of winning a championship.

He said that he had ruled out the option of playing in Argentina for his good friend and former Argentina national team rival Gaby Milito, now manager Club Atletico Independiente.

"I spoke with Gaby and he always asks me about players because we both know many," Forlan said. "We talk all the time, but because we have such a great friendship, I don't want to force anything. Nor do I consider playing in Argentina a possibility and he knows it."

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