Toronto FC has no plans to trade Sebastian Giovinco, according to general manager Tim Bezbatchenko.
"To dispel any rumors, there have been no inquires [about Giovinco]," Bezbatchenko said during halftime of Toronto's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas. "There have been no firm offers. There have been no emails or calls."
Giovinco was linked last week to Liga MX powerhouse Tigres UANL. Giovinco most recently scored against Tigres on Toronto's path to the CCL final. The Atomic Ant is current under contract with Toronto for another two years.
"We welcome interest in all of our players, because it is good to have options," Bezbatchenko said. "At the same time, we are not looking to move Sebastian Giovinco."
Bezbatchenko affirmed that the Reds, trying to sustain their recent success, view Giovinco as someone important to the club and the fans, someone they want to be in Toronto. The team is currently under pressure to perform after turning all of their attention on the Concacaf Champions League to start the season.
"We dug ourselves a little bit of a hole in the regular season," Bezbatchenko said.
The deeper Toronto made it in the CCL tournament, the lower they fell in MLS standings. After Friday's loss to Dallas, Toronto stands at 3-7-1.
"There are no regrets," Bezbatchenko said. "The way we handled ourselves in that competition spoke so much to our vision."
"It's frustrating because we want to be at the top of the table, but we understand why we are where we are," Bezbatchenko said. "If there is any team and group of players that can come back from what we've done it is this group right out here."
