TORONTO — Major League Soccer's Toronto FC announced Wednesday that they have transferred their all-time leading scorer Sebastian Giovinco to the Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

"Replacing a player like Sebastian is difficult," said Toronto GM Ali Curtis. "But we are working diligently and are confident that we will be adding a new designated player in the near future."

The Italian national team forward departs as the Reds' leading scorer across all competitions with 83 goals. The Canadian and US media reported that the Saudi Professional League team paid a transfer fee of between $2-3 million.

The 32-year-old Giovinco, who is known as a potent scorer and free kick specialist, was in the last year of his MLS contract.

He originally joined Toronto in 2015 from Juventus, of Italy's Serie A and has been an offensive force from the beginning, winning the MLS MVP along with the Newcomer of the Year awards in 2015.

"I'd like to thank the fans and my teammates for four special years playing for Toronto FC," said Giovinco. "I'd also like to thank the club for helping me as I transition into the next phase of my career."

Giovinco blasted Toronto FC management on Wednesday night, saying he doesn't trust the MLS team to tell the truth about his departure and that he was willing to take less money to stay in the city.

"They may say I left for a more lucrative deal, but this is not the case," Giovinco said in a lengthy Instagram post. "I would have accepted less to stay in Toronto."

"I can say that I wanted it to end differently," he said. "I was offered terms that I deemed unacceptable. Their offer and lack of transparency is a clear message. It seems management prefers to focus on things other than the pure desire to win." — AFP