A League transfers: Nick Fitzgerald joins Melbourne City; former Liverpool winger Luis Garcia joins Mariners

MELBOURNE City’s raid on Central Coast Mariners continues with attacker Nick Fitzgerald joining Anthony Caceres in switching south.

Hyundai A-League Round 25; Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers FC, played at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford. Mariners' Nick Fitzgerald has the ball taken from him by Wanderers captain Matthew Spiranovic.

MELBOURNE City’s raid on Central Coast Mariners continues with attacker Nick Fitzgerald joining Anthony Caceres in switching south.

Unlike Caceres, who will join on loan via Manchester City, Fitzgerald has signed ­directly with Melbourne City after he was released by the Mariners last week.

A LEAGUE: CITY HELD BY 10-MAN GLORY

After offloading their two best players, the Mariners have signed former Liverpool and Spain winger Luis Garcia for the rest of the season.

Garcia, 37, played in last week’s Liverpool Legends game in Sydney and last played for Indians Atletico de Kolkata after a distinguished career with the Reds, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Fitzgerald, like Caceres, has signed until the end of the season as City’s football department uses the A-League transfer window to form a squad capable of mounting a title challenge.

The 23-year-old winger is expected to fill the void left by anterior cruciate ligament victim Corey Gameiro and departing David Williams.

Fitzgerald has played most of his 94 A-League games with the Mariners, after signing from Brisbane Roar.

Luis Garcia played for the Liverpool Legends in Sydney earlier this month. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

City will have first option to extend his contract beyond May. Fitzgerald’s signing contrasts with that of Caceres, 23, who was bought by Manchester City for just over $300,000 to enable a loan move to Melbourne City, with the paperwork being finalised.

Both were at Melbourne City’s Bundoora training base this week having medicals.

Williams is likely to complete a move to Europe in the coming days.

With suspicion rising that former Brisbane Roar player Luke Brattan will follow Caceres’s unprecedented route to Melbourne City, albeit next season, after signing for Manchester City — he was loaned out to Championship club Bolton but failed to play a game — it’s believed that A-League clubs will call for Football Federation Australia to review the transfer rules.

Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat, who is believed to have inquired about at least one of the two City recruits, has no qualms about the Caceres signing.

“If it’s within the rules it’s within the rules. Maybe they need to be looked at,’’ Muscat said.

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Originally published as A League transfers: Nick Fitzgerald joins Melbourne City; former Liverpool winger Luis Garcia joins Mariners