Despite Perth Glory owner Tony Sage’s willingness to splash the cash, coach Dave Mitchell admits he faces an uphill battle to lure former Uruguay international Alvaro Recoba to the A-League club.
Recoba currently plays for Greek club Panionios but comes out of contract before the start of the A-League season.
Mitchell is eager to sign Recoba as the Glory’s marquee player but said he was unsure whether the 33-year-old midfielder/striker even wanted to come to Perth, let alone whether the club could afford him.
“There was an agent who said he had Recoba and asked if we were interested,” Mitchell said on Friday.
“The next step is how much is he going to be worth and does he really want to come to Perth.
“It’s an ongoing thing, nothing’s been decided but there’s been discussions.
“I’m not confident of getting any players until they sign on the dotted line.
“It’s a hard chase.
“These players earn a lot of money and that’s a big factor.
“You could have three or four good players who say they’re interested but when you get down to the nitty gritty it comes down to the dollar really.
“He’s keen to come to Australia, that’s what we’ve heard, so we’re one of a few clubs that have shown an interest and that’s where it stands at the minute.”
While Recoba is far from a done deal, former Leeds midfielder and fringe Socceroo Jacob Burns is almost certain to sign on the dotted line within the next few weeks.
Burns, who played under Mitchell in the old NSL at Sydney United and Parramatta Power, currently plays in Romania but has expressed a strong interest in returning home to Australia.
Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has warned players that their international careers could be jeopardised by returning to the A-League but that has not fazed Burns, according to Mitchell.
“He’s a pretty confident guy and he feels that if he does come back he would still be in the frame,” Mitchell said.
“From that point of view I don’t think it’s a problem for him.”
And Mitchell has begun fresh talks with Derby County striker Mile Sterjovski, who has been informed by the English Championship side that he will be released.
“It’s a situation where we had initial discussions with him and Pim’s comments put the brakes on it a little bit but now his personal position has changed because Derby are letting him go,” Mitchell said.
“So he’s got to think where can he go and what can he do.
“He’s got a few options and there’s a couple of clubs that have shown interest in him, as have we.
“Mile’s a player very much like Nikita (Rukavytsya) but probably seven or eight years more experienced, so he would be a great asset.”
Mitchell also confirmed 34-year-old Derby defender Andy Todd was “on the radar”.
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