Defensive reinforcements have arrived for Melbourne Victory with experienced German defender Georg Niedermeier signing on with the A-League champions.
The one-year deal is subject to a medical to be completed when the 32-year-old arrives in Melbourne next week.
Niedermeier has played his entire career to date in his homeland and previously formed a strong centre-back partnership at VfB Stuttgart with Frenchman Matthieu Delpierre, a former Victory favourite.
It is an important piece of recruitment for coach Kevin Muscat's side after the recent departures of Rhys Williams (Saudi Arabia) and James Donachie (South Korea).
Niedermeier has spent the past two seasons at Freiburg but has played only sparingly because of injuries.
However, he made 182 appearances during eight seasons for Stuttgart.
"Georg has great defensive qualities and will play an important role in leading our backline this season," Muscat said.
"His big-game experience in the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and Europa League will be extremely valuable.
"While Georg is certainly an important addition, we are working hard to continue to add to the overall quality of the squad."
The club are expected to confirm one more defensive signing in Nick Ansell, with the 24-year-old expected to return to the Victory after a season in Portugal's top flight with Tondela.
Meanwhile, Victory are believed to be moving forward in their discussions with Japanese star Keisuke Honda over a possible marquee deal.
Honda's management has been in dialogue with Victory and Football Federation Australia, who have a $3 million marquee fund to spend, for several months.
The 32-year-old - who played at the World Cup in Russia but announced his international retirement after the Samurai Blue were eliminated - is still close to the peak of his powers.
If Victory can seal the deal, Honda would be the biggest name to join the A-League since Alessandro Del Piero's move to Sydney FC in 2012.
Australian Associated Press
