Noonan may return to Revolution on loan

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By Kyle McCarthy, Special to SI.com, Goal.com

Maybe you can come home again after all.

Pat Noonan is close to re-signing with the New England Revolution after leaving the team during the off-season, sources close to the deal tell Goal.com.

Noonan signed with Norwegian Tippeligaen club Aalesunds FK during the offseason after MLS offered him a pay cut from his previous salary. But a desire to return home and little time on the field with Aalesunds meant Noonan sought a move back to MLS only six months after leaving despite a reported $400,000 salary.

A possible move for Noonan has lingered in recent weeks, but the league's unwillingness to offer Noonan a significantly different deal than the one left on the table in January and the reticence to pay a transfer fee meant the deal required significant negotiation.

If Noonan returns to the Revolution, the team would have staggering depth on the forward line with Taylor Twellman, Kheli Dube, Adam Cristman and Kenny Mansally. Noonan would be expected to either start at striker or provide another option at left midfield.

Other teams have been linked to the striker if New England decides to deal Noonan. Columbus has been the most heavily linked over the past few months through local media reports, and a unconfirmed rumor about interest from San Jose popped up over the weekend after local San Jose media site Center Line Soccer sent out an RSS feed with the headline "Quakes Working to Bring Noonan Back to MLS" before taking the article off of its site.