City have tabled a huge offer for Central Coasts’ diminutive off-contract midfielder, which they had every anticipation of the 24-year-old accepting.


However, Nisbet - expected to make his Australia debut in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in Canberra - has temporarily put that move on ice, whilst his representatives gauge the prospect of an offshore alternative for the player who carries both Australian and Italian passports.

Mariners owner Richard Peil, for one, believes Nisbet possesses all the ingredients to turn that dream into a reality, and is working behind the scenes on Nisbet’s behalf to grease the wheels of a move out of the A-League.


Whilst not totally forsaking the hope of temping him to stay in Gosford, Peil told FTBL: “My top priority here is to try and do what I can to help Josh get what he needs out of his career.


“He has not signed for Melbourne City at this point - I believe he was given a deadline and basically said he wanted to keep all options open. That doesn’t mean he won’t revisit that, however.


“But he tells anyone who listens that his priority is to get a move overseas and it’s probably time for him to make that next step, to be honest.”


With Nisbet at the end of his current deal, Peil emphasised the Mariners won’t stand to make a financial killing, wherever he ultimately ends up.


“I want to make it clear Monty (Nick Montgomery) tried everything to resign Nizzy, Simo (Matt Simon) and Jacko (Mark Jackson) have also tried, but he’s determined to move overseas. So our objective now is to aid Josh in achieving his career goals”, he added.


“We are actively trying to help him get to where he wants to go. We all have a massive opinion of Josh, and we all believe he’s capable playing in the UK.


“Not in the EPL, at this stage, but certainly somewhere fairly high in the pyramid.”


Should Nisbet opt to stay in a league he’s dominated over the past two seasons, Peil would love that to be with the Mariners.


“I would do everything I can for that to be with us, without breaking the bank,” he announced. “I’d hate for us to play against him.

"The reality is that it’s not just Melbourne City - every Australian club would jump at him if he showed interest. Why wouldn’t they?”


Another Mariner reported to be on the move is fellow midfielder Max Balard, who has agreed, according to sources, to join struggling Portuguese Primeira League side Portimonense next season.

Some eight months ago Peil personally forged an alliance with the outfit currently in a dog fight to avoid the drop, signing off on potential player swaps and a pilot scheme which would allow the Algarve-based club to add value to Mariners products with both sharing in potential transfer windfalls down the track.


Peil wouldn’t confirm whether Ballard was part of that project, but did say: “We have a close relationship with Portimonense and we have agreed for players to go both ways in the off-season. But, out of respect for Portimonense who are fighting against relegation. we’ll announce which players they are in due course.


“They are one of the best selling clubs in the world. They’re globally ranked in that regard. They spent circa $5 million on players last year and sold over $100 million worth of talent.


“For us to get better at talent production I wanted to be educated by the best and was lucky enough to gain an introduction to them, and spent a week there looking at their academy and picking the brains of their sporting director.


“They agreed to come and look at our youth academy each year, which they recently did, with a view to taking one to two players over there for 12 months, with the option of us sharing any transfer fees that can be generated.


“They can add value to players - they don’t sell players for $2-3 hundred thousand, they sell them for 2-5 million euros. If we get 30 to 50 per cent of those types of figures it finances the Mariners for a whole year.”