AUCKLAND City mentor Ramon Tribulietx has emerged as a leading contender to coach Brisbane Roar next season.

The 42-year-old Spaniard led the Auckland outfit to the bronze medal at last year’s FIFA Club World Cup, and has also guided the Navy Blues to three consecutive Oceania Football Confederation Champions League titles and successive premierships in the New Zealand football league.

ROUND 27: A-League team news

The Courier-Mail has been told that Roar football director Ken Stead visited New Zealand last month to interview Tribulietx, who is currently in Fiji, where his Auckland team have reached another OFC Champions League final.

Tribulietx is not the only foreign coach to have been sounded out by Stead in the Roar’s search to find a replacement for interim boss Frans Thijssen, who won’t be retained next season in his current role.

media_camera Interim boss Frans Thijssen may stay on as technical director for the Roar. Picture: Jono Searle.

Doubts have also emerged that Dutchman Thijssen will be kept on as the club’s technical director, with Roar chairman Chris Fong reportedly saying that would not happen despite Stead and Brisbane general manager Sean Dobson having said otherwise.

The Roar are expected to announce their new coach next month.

It’s understood Socceroos assistant coach and former Roar striker Ante Milicic was offered the job but turned it down.

However, Barcelona-born Tribulietx seems to fit the bill in terms of the Roar’s football “philosophy” stressed by both Stead and Dobson.

“We’ve been working for years to show people that we can keep possession of the ball, even if we are a team from New Zealand,” Tribulietx told FIFA.com last year.

Auckland City seem resigned to losing him.

“The world now knows how good he is and I think we’ll have trouble holding on to him. If he stays till the end of the season I’ll be delighted,” City chairman Ivan Vuksich told stuff.co.nz in December.

Once the Roar appoint their coach, there should be a clearer picture of which off-contract players will be retained next season.

Serbian international striker Andrija Kaluderovic wants to stay in Brisbane but is yet to hold contract extension talks with the club.

“My job here is to give my best performances here and after the season I will speak with (the club),” Kaluderovic said on Thursday on arriving back in Brisbane following the Roar’s 1-0 AFC Champions League win over Beijing Guoan in China on Tuesday night.

“My job is to play every game and other people will say who is coach.”

Kaluderovic scored against his former club to lift his tally of Roar goals to six in all competitions.

The Roar are back in action Friday night when they host Newcastle Jets at Suncorp Stadium in the final round of the A-League season.

With the Roar already guaranteed an A-League finals berth, Kaluderovic and a host of other front-liners are set to be rested, as was the case in Brisbane’s 1-0 loss to Melbourne Victory last Saturday.

Goalkeeper Michael Theo is a chance of returning from his groin injury.