BRISBANE ROAR may be about to lose one of the stars of the A-League, but the club's prospective new foreign owners are believed to be willing to bankroll a big-name replacement for departing skipper Matt McKay.

McKay, currently in Cardiff where he is preparing to play for the Socceroos in tomorrow's friendly international against Wales, is all but certain to join Scottish giants Rangers by the end of the week, with only work permit issues holding up the deal. Brisbane will lose their star attraction for what's believed to be a $500,000 transfer fee, and with the club currently under the control of cash-strapped Football Federation Australia, the concern for coach Ange Postecoglou is whether he would be given the cash for a suitable replacement.

Scotland bound ... Matt McKay. Credit:Getty Images

In the 18 months since he took charge, Postecoglou has seen $2m worth of talent head overseas without the money being re-invested in the squad. Despite those restrictions, he managed to guide the Roar to the championship on the back of a record unbeaten run. Still, the loss of McKay is a potentially decisive blow - not just in terms of defending the domestic title, but also making an impact in next year's Asian Champions League.

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Thankfully for Postecoglou, it's the ACL which is also a priority for the club's likely new majority shareholder, Indonesian billionaire Aburizal Bakrie, whose family owns Indonesia's most popular club, Pelita Jaya, as well as a minority stake in English second-tier side Leicester City. Bakrie representatives were in Brisbane last weekend to run the rule over their Australian investment, with an announcement of the Roar's new ownership structure - set to also include a consortium of local businessmen - believed to be imminent.

Meanwhile, Sydney FC have replaced one former Socceroo with another as their goalkeeping coach - Zeljko Kalac filling the vacancy left by John Filan's sudden departure last week. Kalac has been working as a media pundit since retiring last year, but has made no secret of his interest in becoming involved in coaching. ''This is a great opportunity for me,'' he said. ''It's a pleasure because I'm Sydney born and bred and Sydney FC is my team.''