Western Sydney Wanderers blocked in fresh bid to bring home former Socceroos striker Scott McDonald

WESTERN Sydney have been turned down in another bid to sign former Socceroo striker Scott McDonald for their Asian Champions League squad.

WESTERN Sydney Wanderers have been turned down in another bid to sign former Socceroo striker Scott McDonald, as the deadline counts down until the cut-off date for their Asian Champions League squad.

Desperate to add more striking power to lift their faltering A-League campaign, as well as returning to the ACL, Western Sydney sought to persuade McDonald to quit Scottish club Motherwell.

As The Daily Telegraph reported earlier this month, McDonald’s representatives had previously told A-League clubs that the striker has a buyout clause in his contract of around $100,000, but reports in Scotland say the club — where he has become a senior player under coach Mark McGhee — had persuaded him to remain there.

The abortive bid was the second attempt to sign McDonald, after the Fir Park club rejected what it said was a “life-changing offer” for the 33-year-old last July.

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Wanderers couldn’t prise McDonald away from Motherwell. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

McDonald is hugely popular with the Motherwell support, at what recently became an entirely fan-owned club, and where McGhee said last week that the Australian was “carrying” the rest of the team.

It continues a barren transfer window for the Wanderers, who have added goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic from Sydney FC but so far been unable to replace striker Kerem Bulut. The club was also knocked back by Football Federation Australia in an attempt to lure former Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva as a season-long guest player.

Though the deadline for submitting squads for the ACL passed last week, teams can add up to five extra players any time until seven days before their first game — which in Western Sydney’s case is on February 21.

Nonetheless the A-League transfer window closes before then, on February 1, which is effectively the cut-off for the Wanderers to secure any extra manpower for the rest of the season.

Originally published as Western Sydney Wanderers blocked in fresh bid to bring home former Socceroos striker Scott McDonald