Wanderers bid to snatch off-contract Troisi from Victory

Western Sydney Wanderers are ready to swap the fantasy football pursuit of Franck Ribery for the reality option of James Troisi as coach Markus Babbel configures his rebuild for next season.

Source: AAP

The former Bayern Munich defender has used his links with the German giant to sound out the still potent 35-year-old French star, but admits it’s most likely a bridge too far.

Plan B, though, is already on the table as the Wanderers look to add creative quality in the knowledge that German recruit Alexander Baumjohann will likely return to Europe next season, whilst Roly Bonevacia has been heavily linked with Perth Glory.

It’s understood that Troisi, who is out of contract at Melbourne Victory at the end of May, has been identified as a target, with Wanderers favoured to get their man if they can offer in excess of the $600,000 Troisi is thought to currently command.

Whilst Victory coach Kevin Muscat is keen to keep Troisi - who has notched 32 goals in 100 league appearances for the defending champions - it’s uncertain whether at the age of 30 he will be offered more than his current package.

All of which opens the door to Wanderers, with Brisbane Roar also waiting in the wings, as they seek to tempt Troisi into the ninth move of his much-travelled career.

The Wanderers are desperate to put the under-achievement and tribulations of this season behind them and begin life at their newly-rebuilt Bankwest Stadium home with a bang in 2019-2020, with marquee signings high on the agenda.

Were a deal with Troisi struck, it would not necessarily preclude the addition of a high profile foreigner, especially with FFA’s marquee fund still containing $3 million.

How that cash is spent, however, will be determined jointly by Fox Sports and whichever body administers the competition with a separation of powers from FFA currently underway as part of the A-League’s new governance model.