Chivas forward Pulido admits Rayados were interested, but goal is Europe return

The forward was back in Monterrey this week but not to make a move away from Guadalajara

Chivas forward Alan Pulido says there was a chance to leave the Guadalajara club this offseason but he would rather head back to Europe than move within .

Pulido's former Chivas teammate Rodolfo Pizarro signed for Monterrey this summer, with Chivas also offloading players like center back Oswaldo Alanis and goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota as the club slashed its payroll.

The 27-year-old remains in Guadalajara ahead of the new season which starts Friday, but admitted there was a chance he'd join Pizarro at Rayados.

"I still have a contract with Chivas, and my dream is to go to Europe again. Yeah, I knew there were some possibilities, but I focused on myself. I wasn't going to make a decision while my agent and the club directors weren't telling me anything," Pulido told reporters. "Today I belong to Chivas and am defending their colors."

Pulido previously represented Monterrey's crosstown rivals Tigres and still has a number of connections in the city. He left Tigres in 2014 in a controversial move that saw his case go before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He suited up for Greek clubs Levadiakos and Olympiacos but returned to Mexico to join Chivas before the 2016 Apertura.

He was back in Tigres' Estadio Universitario on Tuesday to play in former teammate Damian Alvarez's farewell match but didn't receive a fond reception from the Tigres fans there. Pulido was booed but said he didn't hear any adverse reaction from the stands.

"I didn't hear that they booed me. They booed me?" Pulido said with a laugh. "Those are things that happen. I see it as flattery. It means that since I left here things have gone well in my career."

Chivas travel to face Club Tijuana on Saturday in the first week of the Liga MX Apertura in what will be the debut of new manager Jose Cardozo.