The most protracted tug-of-war of the A-League off-season is set to come to an end with the Central Coast Mariners reluctantly conceding in their fight to keep star Michael McGlinchey.



The New Zealand international will finally join Wellington Phoenix, despite being under contract at Central Coast. As A-League regulations prohibit transfers being paid between clubs, the only way the move can occur is if the Mariners agree to release their best player - who is potentially worth up to $1 million on the transfer market - without compensation.



Both the Phoenix and McGlinchey believed they had found a loophole for the move when the Mariners' players were asked to sign new contracts as part of the club's ownership change under Mike Charlesworth.



Reckoning that voided the previous existing contracts, and supported by legal advice from Professional Footballers Australia, McGlinchey informed the Mariners he would not be signing the new contact and sought a move instead.



A stand-off intervened, with the FFA stepping in last month and ruling McGlinchey was still contracted to Central Coast and that he was not free to join the Phoenix before his contract expired on January 1, 2015.



However, as the 27-year old joined Vegalta Sendai in January on a 12-month loan deal, McGlinchey has not subsequently reported for duty at the Mariners, even though the Japanese club mutually terminated the deal after the departure of ex-Mariners boss Graham Arnold.



Despite the FFA's decision going against him, it's understood McGlinchey has already relocated to Wellington and the Phoenix have commenced assisting him. He has recently been away in the Middle East and Uzbekistan with the New Zealand national team, where over a third of the squad are prospective Phoenix teammates.



After McGlinchey informed coach Phil Moss via text message that he wanted out, the club has scarcely heard from the player since, and have - after much internal debate - decided to cut their losses.



"Obviously we have a very special culture in the Mariners' and that culture doesn't allow for anyone that doesn't want to be here. Nor am I the type of coach that caters for players who don't want to be here," Moss told the Herald. "We had some great times with Mikey at the club but he made it clear to us he wanted to leave, under different financial terms.



"We're moving on with those who want to be a part of what we're doing and we've recruited some players, like Malick Mané and Richárd Vernes, who are very capable of having a big impact."



The Mariners have made no secret of their disquiet with the PFA for the advice they afforded McGlinchey and the Phoenix, which created momentum for the move to take place, in spite of the existing contract.



"I am at least delighted with the arbitration ruling of the FFA because that was a test case for all players' contracts and it was a massive can of worms that could have exploded if the ruling went the other way," Moss said. "The PFA fought to exploit a loophole, but if we had used that same loophole to release a player, I'm sure they would have jumped all over me and the club."



The Mariners will turn their attention to matters on the field from Friday, when they play three games in 10 days - starting with an exhibition match against Brisbane Roar, followed by an FFA Cup match against Olympic FC on Tuesday and a friendly against the Newcastle Jets.



"We'll use these games to get some match fitness and sharpness," Moss said. "We had a great week away in Lismore, getting some huge training loads into the boys, drawing 1-1 with Melbourne City, who've already played eight games compared to our one. Physically and tactically, we're probably only 40 per cent of where we need to be, but that's what the next month is all about."