Sky Blues in talks with former Iranian international striker

The Sydney Morning Herald – SYDNEY, Sydney FC are in talks to sign former Iranian international forward Reza Ghoochannejhad in what would be a massive boost to their A-League title hopes and forthcoming AFC Champions League campaign.

The Herald understands the Sky Blues are close to securing the 31-year-old on a loan deal for the remainder of the season from Cypriot powerhouse APOEL FC.

Ghoochannejhad – nicknamed ‘Gucci’ – scored 17 goals in 44 appearances for Iran before retiring after last year’s World Cup in Russia, where he was part of Carlos Queiroz’s squad but did not play a minute.

Prior to joining APOEL, he played two seasons for SC Heerenveen, where he bagged 27 goals in 67 Eredivisie matches.

Reports in the Cypriot media say Ghoochannejhad could be just days away from confirming a move to Australia.

Sitting in second place on the A-League ladder, two points behind leaders Perth Glory, the Sky Blues remain firmly in the hunt for silverware despite some shaky form under rookie coach Steve Corica.

The addition of Ghoochannejhad could give them a much-needed new dimension up front and a quality strike partner for Adam Le Fondre.

Their interest in Ghoochannejhad has been longstanding. The club originally looked at him as a marquee player for this season but were unable to meet his wage demands.

He subsequently signed a two-year contract with APOEL, which made him one of the highest-paid players in Cyprus, but has played only 10 times and is seeking a move to a team where he will feature more regularly.

Born in Mashhad, Iran, Ghoochannejhad’s family migrated to the Netherlands when he was four years old. He spent the first eight years of his career playing for clubs in the Netherlands and Belgium before a two-season stint with Charlton Athletic in the English Championship.

The prospect of living in Australia is understood to be appealing to Ghoochannejhad and he has held encouraging discussions in recent days with Sydney FC officials, including Corica and football director Terry McFlynn.

The Sky Blues have a chunk of their salary cap left to spend and are keen to add another attacking player to their final-third stocks this month. Numerous players are on their radar but Ghoochannejhad is their preferred candidate – not only because of his pedigree but his status as an Asian player, which means he could be part of their AFC Champions League squad under the 4+1 rule without squeezing out another import.

It is now on APOEL to accept the offer on the table, with another Greek club understood to have put in a bid for Ghoochannejhad. The Sky Blues cannot go any higher than the current bid due to salary cap restrictions.

Corica will be hoping the deal gets over the line sooner rather than later to help cover for the expected absence of Siem de Jong for several weeks, with the Dutchman having suffered a knee injury in their 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix.