Panaji: The All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) is keen to have ‘Dempo’ back in the I-League but not with the all-conquering team that has won the maximum titles in the combined history of the National Football League and I-League.Dempo won five national titles and were the most dominant side between 2005 and 2012 when they won five league titles under coach Armando Colaco, who was also handed charge of the national team. Dempo parted ways with Colaco in 2013 and the Goan club has never quite hit the all-time high since then.In fact, in 2015, Dempo were relegated to the second division I-League but were back in the top tier a year later. There were celebrations all around as the ‘Golden Eagles’ returned to where they belong but the AIFF’s proposed roadmap that made the Indian Super League (ISL) the top-tier league and relegated I-League to the second division meant Dempo, along with two other Goan clubs – Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa – opted to withdraw from the I-League.Having sat out for two successive seasons now, ‘Dempo’ could return to the I-League but only if club chairman Shrinivas Dempo agrees to join hands with the AIFF and sponsor Indian Arrows, the AIFF’s developmental side.According to sources, AIFF president Praful Patel has held talks with Dempo and asked him to mull over the proposal.“We’ve not made any proposal. We had some discussions (with Dempo) last season but nothing has been discussed for the next season,” said AIFF general secretary Kushal Das.The AIFF general secretary said they would be “happy to have someone who can partner Arrows.”Dempo, at least initially, would have been tempted with the idea of backing India’s young guns in a major competition like the I-League, but two concerns remain. At first, Dempo won most of their trophies with Goan talent, some of them biggest names in Indian football. So, will it be acceptable to Dempo to adopt a team that does not have a single Goan player?Arrows are known to have an annual budget of Rs 6.5 crore. Even if Dempo agrees to partner AIFF and pick up 50 percent of the expenses, he could field his own team in the I-League, and like Aizawl FC and Minerva Punjab FC – winners of the last two editions – even emerge champions.“We have two options which are open but no serious thought has been given to any of them. We should be able to decide in about a month,” said Shrinivas Dempo.