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Tim Cahill could put pen to paper with Melbourne City as soon as Monday.
The Socceroos legend is currently playing in the Chinese Super League with Hangzhou Greentown, however The Australian is reporting that the struggling club will be happy enough to release Cahill when the local transfer window opens on Monday.
It is understood the A-League’s newest powerhouse are set to make a huge play for Cahill, snapping him up in spite of interest from clubs in China, the United States and England.
If Cahill is to come home, he would surely become the face of the A-League, with The Australian speculating the league would use him as a major bargaining chip in their upcoming TV rights deals.
He would also help City to assert themselves as the dominant club in Victoria, as they have struggled to emerge from under the shadow of Melbourne Victory – both as City and in their previous life as Melbourne Heart.
City had a successful season in 2015-16, finishing fourth in the regular season before being knocked out by eventual champions Adelaide United in the semi-finals.
Sheikh Mansour’s Aussie club are banking on a player of Cahill’s calibre to take them two wins better in the coming season.
The former Everton player would also be the highest-profile recruit to the game since Harry Kewell’s underwhelming season at Melbourne under their previous iteration as the Heart.
Indeed, it was Kewell’s time in the A-League, along with John Aloisi’s experience at home as a player, that led to Cahill being so reluctant to come home until now, approaching his 37th birthday.
But after a series of spats with FFA, CEO David Gallop met with Cahill last week to clear the air, before making a statement which finished, “Bottom line is Tim would be a massive addition to the A-League. I would love to see him playing here every week.”
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