Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat has labelled his side ordinary after their convincing 3-0 defeat to Brisbane Roar.
There's been even more interest in Mitch Nichols. Source: Getty Images
JAPANESE side Cerezo Osaka has launched a second bid for Melbourne Victory's Mitch Nichols, lifting its offer to more than $350,000.
Victory rejected Cerezo's first offer of $200,000, submitting its latest bid for the midfielder in the last 48 hours.
It sets up an intriguing week ahead of Victory's visit to Newcastle Jets on Friday as it's understood the player is eager to pursue a move abroad and has made it known to Victory coach Kevin Muscat.
Nichols - arguably Victory's best player this season - was taken off at half-time of Victory's 3-0 loss to Brisbane Roar on Saturday.
The coach refused to buy into it after the game but confirmed that Nichols wasn't injured.
"I didn't say his (Nichols') head wasn't right. I said he came off at half time not because he was injured, so therefore he's tactical,'' Muscat said.
"He's got a lot on his mind so we've changed the tactics, changed the player. He wasn't injured, no.''
Re-live all the action from Brisbane Roar's clash against Melbourne Victory.
It's unclear whether Cerezo has set itself a deadline for Nichols but its pre-season starts next week, ahead of the J-League's March kick off.
Central Coast's Michael McGlinchey has played his last A-League game of the season as he this week joins Graham Arnold's Vegalta Sendai on loan.
It's unknown whether Cerezo, whose coach Ranko Popovic is a huge admirer of Nichols, would return with a third bid.
Japanese clubs traditionally don't pay huge transfer fees. Alex Brosque - the only player who's transferred from A-League to J-League - attracted a $320,000 transfer from Sydney FC to Shimzu S-Pulse in 2011.
An absolute masterclass from Brisbane Roar saw Mike Mulvey's side dismantle Melbourne Victory 3-0.
"I first saw him during my time in the Asian Champions League in 2012 when FC Tokyo played against the Brisbane Roar and his qualities were immediately obvious,'' Popovic said of Nichols in an interview with SBS.
"For me the attraction of a player such as Mitch is his versatility - he can play as a number six or a number 10 and this flexibility is very important.
"Pre-season starts in the middle of January and I want my squad to be in order by then."
Muscat has recorded four wins, two draws and four losses since taking over from Ange Postecoglou in Round 4.
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