Western Melbourne say they are ‘very close’ to signing Scott Brown

Scott Brown’s 12-year stay at Celtic is about to end, according to the team who want to sign him.

Western Melbourne are a newly formed club in the Hyundai A-League and according to one of their prospective buyers, Maurice Bisetto, they are close to tempting Brown away from Celtic.

He told reporters:

We are pretty close with signing some players, including a marquee.

He then said of Brown:

We think Scott Brown has a lot of positives and could make a significant contribution to a new club… as a leader on and off the field.

Australian teams have made big splashes in recent years. In 2012, Sydney FC signed Alessandro Del Piero, and Melbourne City signed both Damien Duff and David Villa in 2014.

Bisetto though, says that the signing is not about selling merchandise or putting ‘bums on seats’. He suggests that Brown is a target because he fits into the style of play they want to see, as opposed to just being a big name. He even admitted there were bigger names they could have gone after.

Brown’s stay in Glasgow has been extremely successful, winning eight league titles and nine other major honours. His departure would leave a void for the fanbase that have watched him play for 12 years.