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          Sources: Juan Agudelo signs to join New England Revolution

            Jan 29, 2015, 11:53 AM ET

            Juan Agudelo's lengthy journey to find a new club has officially ended with the New England Revolution, with sources telling ESPN FC that the U.S. international has signed a contract with MLS.

            A source added that Agudelo's deal will run through 2018, though the 22-year-old will not be a designated player.

            Agudelo confirmed the move on Twitter later on Thursday:

            The deal concludes a puzzling spell for Agudelo, who has been out of action since his loan stint with Dutch side FC Utrecht ended last May. Agudelo had been on the books of English Premier League side Stoke City, but after twice having applications for a work permit denied, his contract was terminated.

            MLS attempted to secure Agudelo's services last summer, but was turned down due to the player's insistence on playing in Europe. Agudelo had been linked with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, but his desire to play in England saw him turn that deal down as well.

            Agudelo also took part in a two-week training stint with English Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers back in October, but it didn't lead to a contract being offered.

            The single biggest reason for Agudelo's hiatus was an ultimately failed attempt to acquire Cypriot citizenship, a process that started last summer. Had Agudelo proved successful in acquiring citizenship in Cyprus, which is a member of the European Union, that would have opened the door for signing with a club in England since he would have been able to bypass the work permit process that resulted in his contract with Stoke being terminated.

            But as the process continued to drag on with no sign of a resolution in sight, and with Agudelo idle during the prime of his career, he made the decision to return to MLS.

            Now Agudelo will return to New England, who retained his rights because the forward left the club when his contract expired at the end of the 2013 season.