CAPTAIN Mark Milligan has been offered a deal to ­become Melbourne Victory’s Australian marquee player, ­replacing Archie Thompson, whose new contract will be ­included under the salary cap.

Midfielder Milligan, 28, has a year to run on his current deal but, in an attempt to retain and stave off rival offers, Victory has moved to better compensate the 28-year-old.

It is understood to have made an offer which will see him earn at least double the salary he has been paid for the past two seasons.

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Crystal Palace (mid-2013) and United Arab Emirates club Baniyas (January) have tried to prize Milligan away, and ­Victory coach Kevin Muscat expects more offers to come for the Socceroo after the World Cup.

But the revelation of the offer to Milligan means the chances of Victory retaining James Troisi are slim.

Troisi, 25, came to Victory on loan at the start of last ­season and would go on to went on to be the club’s leading scorer in a breakout season. The attacking midfielder is co-owned by Serie A clubs ­Juventus and ­Atalanta, but has said repeatedly he does not know what his future holds ­beyond Brazil.

News_Image_File: Mark Milligan trains with his Socceroos teammates.

Muscat has said Victory would like to ­retain the 25-year-old, but it is unlikely it will be able to do so with a deal constrained by the salary cap.

Speaking at Melbourne ­Victory’s fan forum, Muscat said he wanted to strengthen his squad in three key areas in off-season.

“We need another central defender, another midfielder and another attacker on the left-hand side,” he said.