Despite rumors and speculations, the Fluminense soccer club officially announced on Thursday that they have concluded their efforts to hire Fred, Xinhua reported.
The forward, who currently plays for France's Lyon, was expected to arrive at Fluminense in May of this year after his contract expired.
The news comes from the club's coordinator of soccer, Alexandre Faria. He said, "Fluminense and Fred have decided to end negotiations. We made an offer to buy 40 percent of his player rights and offer a two year contract, but the athlete has been offered something better by a club in Europe."
Fluminense's interest in Fred was confusing and even sent mixed signals. Just last week, on January 16, the president of the soccer club, Roberto Horcades, announced that the player would be arriving at Fluminense in May. On that same day, Faria denied any such deal had been made. The interest in bringing the player back to Brazil may have existed, but the team's financial capacity did not.
Fred has openly stated his frustration with Lyon and has said that he wants out.
Upon hearing the news, many Brazilian teams set their sights on the star. The Palmeiras soccer club is hoping to bring the player over for the first three months of the Sao Paulo state championship. However, with Fred's apparent offers to keep him in Europe, his return to Brazilian soccer is doubtful.