Melbourne Victory is set to begin their German revolution under Marco Kurz with the signing of veteran utility Tim Hoogland.
The Covert Agent can reveal Victory are close to sealing the deal with the 34-year-old German, who most recently played for Bundesliga 2. club Vfl Bochum - alongside recent AAMI Park addition Robbie Kruse.
Hoogland, who will be Kurz's first foreign capture and the squad's second VISA player behind Ola Toivonen, is a defensive player who can play in midfield and full-back roles.
The 183cm player is a veteran of eight seasons in the German Bundesliga with Schalke, Mainz and Stuttgart, while also playing a campaign for Fulham in the 2014-15 Championship.
Hoogland joins Kruse and Andrew Nabbout as the first signings of Kurz's reign as Victory coach, but there is still work to be done in the market with three foreign spots vacant in the squad's list.
Victory's participation in the FFA Cup ended on Wednesday night with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park in the round of 32.
Their next competitive fixture won't come until the start of the A-League season with a Melbourne derby against City on October 12 at Marvel Stadium.