31 Jan Report: City secure Maclaren deal in dying moments of transfer window

Melbourne City has secured the services of Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren in the final hours of the transfer window, according to the Herald Sun.

City and Maclaren have been chatting throughout the month of January, with some reports indicating they had struck a verbal agreement.

However, the deal was at the mercy of Maclaren’s Scottish club Hibernian, who were hesitant to grant the 25-year-old a release.

Maclaren was on a season-long loan at Hibernian from Darmstadt.

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In a complicated transfer, Melbourne exploited a rule that enabled them to complete the Maclaren deal after the A-League’s transfer deadline finished.

Darmstadt and City registered the paperwork via FIFA’s Transfer Matching System prior to Thursday’s midnight (AEDT) A-League deadline.

According to the Herald Sun, the unique deal would have been “unlikely to have occurred without the influence and international transfer expertise of City Football Group”.

Hibernian granted Maclaren a release in the final hours of the transfer window, after they were able to find a replacement with forward Marc McNulty.

Maclaren is likely to make his City debut in next week’s home fixture against Adelaide.