BackPageLead understands the Harry Kewell transfer saga could soon be over, with Melbourne Victory believed to be close to announcing his signing, possibly as early as this week.

A source close to the negotiations indicated a deal is looking more likely by the day. The Melbourne club is very much in the box seat and working feverishly - including at meetings today - to produce a satisfactory outcome for all. Kewell, cut by Galatasary at the end of the European season, is now without a club so there is also a measure of urgency on his part to get a deal brokered.

Officially, Victory is retaining the stance communicated throughout July by senior club figures: Victory is interested in signing Kewell but the next step in the process is not for them to make. Kewell's representatives were unavailable for comment.

Speculation over the return to Australia for one of the country's greatest ever footballers has dominated the A-League offseason. Numerous clubs have been linked with the former Leeds, Liverpool and Galatasaray forward in recent months but only Victory and Sydney FC have been thought of as serious contenders for Kewell's signature.

During June and July various media sources, ranging from The Age to Collingwood president, Eddie McGuire, have claimed a Kewell to Victory deal was close to finalised. However, the Socceroo's long-time adviser, Bernie Mandic, convinced many observers that his client had no chance of joining the A-League, when he told SEN radio in July that the FFA was unwilling to broker a compromise settlement.

That interview threw many reporters off the scent in a move that now appears to be characteristic brinkmanship from a shrewd operator determined to secure the best deal for his client.

Such protracted negotiations have come at a cost to Kewell's PR though, with speculative details of the Socceroo's remuneration package making unflattering headlines.

With no A-League club able to fit Kewell into its wage structure, and the experienced international used to a salary befitting his major European employers, more creative solutions have been sought to secure his appearance in the competition. The most controversial of these has been the proposal for Kewell to receive a percentage of certain revenues, as a reflection of his direct involvement in increased ticket and merchandise sales.

Kewell's capture would represent a major coup for Victory and its new administration.

At the end of last season, Anthony Di Pietro assumed the chairmanship of the A-League's biggest club and has since transformed the football department, replacing Ernie Merrick and Gary Cole with Mehmet Durakovic and Francis Awaritefe.

Melbourne Victory Mk II has professed a desire to play a more attractive brand of football than supporters were used to under the foundation management. Kewell is likely to be a key component in such a transformation, bringing with him not only considerable ability but also experience of top-level European football and its coaching methods.

The success of the Kewell deal will not rest solely on Victory's push for a record third A-League title. The left-sided forward has struggled with injuries throughout his career and, as he approaches 33, his onfield influence can be expected to wane.

His status in the pantheon of Australian footballing greatness is assured however and, at least in his first year back in the country, he can expect to draw large crowds wherever he plays.

The erratic nature of this protracted transfer means that nothing can be taken for granted until Kewell is jogging onto the AAMI Park turf wearing the navy blue. If that happens this week, you heard it here first ... ish.