Date: November 24th 2009
Author: Ben Coonan and Sam Lienert
From: The Sydney Morning Herald

AAP

Former Socceroos star Josip Skoko is poised to join A-League club-in-waiting Melbourne Heart.

The Heart announced their first two player signings on Tuesday, snaring Newcastle Jets captain Matt Thompson and Adelaide midfielder Kristian Sarkies.

Skoko, currently seeing out the remaining months of his contract with Croatian heavyweights Hajduk Split, seems set to join them.

The midfielder wants to be close to his family, who are based in Melbourne and Geelong, and always wanted to end his playing days in Australia.

"I've always said after I've finished my career in Europe I'd like to come back and live in Australia," Skoko told AAP.

"My contract expires at the end of this season and I'll most likely be moving back down there with the family for a few years.

"It all depends on how things come together, I've had some contact with the Heart and I'm very open to suggestions."

Heart chief executive Scott Munn confirmed the club's interest in Skoko, but said coach John van't Schip planned to watch him play live before they moved on to contract discussions.

"He's going to go and watch him play a few times in Croatia and from there he will make a decision," Munn said.

"It would be fantastic (to sign Skoko), but it's one of the reasons we've employed John."

The Heart have also been linked to Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo and Central Coast's Dean Heffernan.

But Colosimo has dismissed reports he has agreed to terms with the A-League's 11th club, saying if he left Sydney it would most likely be to head to Asia.

Van't Schip said he was excited about the signings of Thompson, a veteran of 107 A-League games, and former Melbourne Victory player Sarkies.

"Both players are technically excellent, great professionals and moving toward the peak of their careers," he said.

Skoko, with 15 years' club experience in Belgium, Turkey, England and Croatia and 51 caps for the Socceroos, would be a significant coup for the Heart.

"I'm feeling good, I don't have any major injury problems, hopefully the body has still got something to offer and perhaps it might be an interesting little end to the career," said the 33-year-old, who retired from the international game after the 2006 World Cup.

In other news, Skoko said his close friend and former Socceroos captain Mark Viduka had not yet called time on his playing career.

Viduka has been unsighted on a football pitch since late May and has repeatedly rejected offers from Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek to contribute to Australia's 2010 World Cup campaign.

Now back in his hometown of Melbourne, Viduka is - according to Skoko - still deliberating his next move.

"I don't think he's hung up the boots yet, I think if the right opportunity came up he could well put them back on, but for now he's just enjoying life as it comes," Skoko said.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/heart-set-to-bring-skoko-home-20091124-jfjo.html