On the same day it was reported that Fornaroli had been lined up by Perth Glory with Irishman Andy Keogh coming the other way in a shock swap deal, the cashed-up Reds have thrown their hat into the ring for both players.

German coach Marco Kurz has been given $1 million to spend by the club’s new ownership group.

Sydney, who almost signed Fornaroli as a marquee in the off-season, have also re-entered the fray for the Uruguayan, but for next season rather than this January window.

A two-year marquee deal is, once more, on the table.

City coach Warren Joyce, banished Fornaroli in November after being unimpressed with his fitness levels and attitude.

He is keen to re-unite with 32-year-old Keogh - whom he briefly worked with at Leeds United - especially now that Scottish forward Michael O’Halloran has exited the club, leaving their striker stocks wafer thin.

City are prepared to pay Keogh up to $650,000 - roughly half of Fornaroli’s marquee money - with Glory understood to be struggling to meet Fornaroli’s wage expectations.

The emergence of Adelaide United, whose preference would be the less expensive option of Keogh, has added a new level of intrigue to the machinations.

Fornaroli, meanwhile, is understood to have lobbied for a long-awaited switch to Sydney, now that City chiefs appear to have back-flipped on their previous pledge not to sell the out-of-favour striker to an A-League rival.

The fear of Fornaroli finding a rich vein of form elsewhere in the competition continues to be a concern for City, but their willingness to get him off the books looks like bring the over-riding factor.

A wildcat in the mix is Newcastle Jets’ Irish forward Roy O’Donovan, who has scored in three successive games after returning from his long ban, and is also attracting interest from a number of the aforementioned clubs.

The 33-year-old is off contract at the end of the season, and may be open to a move should the Jets dally on offering him a new deal.