City, the club he has graced for five years, are also keen to re-sign the 30-year-old predator - leaving Maclaren with plenty to ponder as his current contract nears expiration.

Considered by many unfortunate to miss out on selection for this month’s Asian Cup, the omission of the 32-cap Socceroo has done little to stifle enquiries over his willingness to try his hand abroad again after previous spells with Hibernian in Scotland and Darmstadt in Germany.

With his contract up in June, Maclaren is free to talk to interested parties, both home and abroad, as he mulls the next crucial career step.

The scorer of 151 A-League goals - and counting - since bursting into the scene with Perth Glory and then Brisbane - Maclaren has been linked with J2 League side Fagiano Okayama – the former home of Australian pair Mitch Duke and Stefan Mauk in Japan’s second tier - and at least three J1 outfits are thought to be in the mix.

It will ultimately come down to Maclaren’s preference to potentially uproot his family for another overseas odyssey or remain in Australia, where he has already surpassed previous A-League goal king Besart Berisha and chase down the all-time professional record of 240 goals from 447 matches set by Damian Mori across spells in both the NSL and A-League.

At the age of 30, he’s within striking distance of the former Socceroo, assuming he stays injury free in the five or so seasons he might have left at the top domestic level.

The contracts on offer range from two to four years - leaving Maclaren, who has articulated his desire to eclipse Mori’s mark - spoiled for choice. 

He is a five time A-League Golden Boot winner - top scorer in the A-League in the 2016–17 (19 goals), 2019–20 (22 goals), 2020–21 (25 goals) and 2021–22 (15 goals), 2022–23 (24 goals). 

His tally so far this season is seven in 11 appearances for fourth placed City.