Perth Glory center back Michael Thwaite. (Photo : Getty Images)
Australian center back Michael Thwaite is reportedly all set to join Liaoning Whowin FC at a still undisclosed transfer fee as the Chinese Super League squad plans to improve their 12th place finish last season.
The Northeast Tigers fell almost in the bottom quarter of the league table in 2015 and went just two points away from relegation to Chine League One after giving away 46 goals and scoring only 30 the whole season.
Thwaite will help improve Liaoning's defense by leaps and bounds as the 32-year-old center back has been one of the best defenders in the lineup of Perth Glory, a club of the Australian A-League, for the past three and a half years, as reported by The Guardian.
The Brisbane, Australia native has played for Purple Rain since 2012 and is perhaps its most reliable back field performer, playing every single minute for the team during the 2014-2015 A-League season.
He is under contract with the team until the end of this season, but Glory CEO Peter Filopoulos has verified Liaoning's offer and that his release clause "has now been activated", as per SBS.
"There are some conversations and some correspondence with a couple of Chinese clubs through various agents, but we haven't finalized anything as yet," said Filopoulos. "I'm sure over the course of this week there will be some developments on that front. Michael's got some ambitions and we've known that for several months."
"He did have an agreement with the club that if something did come his way during the course of his remaining contract which ends in May, that we wouldn't stand in his way," he added.
