Australian midfielder Tommy Oar competes for the ball against Portsmouth's Gary Roberts during his recent stint with Ipswich Town. (Photo : Getty Images)
Top A-League team Brisbane Roar is reportedly set to face stiff competition from an unnamed Chinese football club for the services of former Ipswich Town scorer Tommy Oar after the Australian footballer resigned from his post with the English Football League Championship squad.
The Courier Mail indicated that "a lucrative offer from China looms as the biggest hurdle in" the Black and Orange's attempt to bring back home the 24-year-old winger.
Recent reports have emerged that the Suncorp Stadium residents are keen on snaring Oar back to Australia after the Southport, Queensland native was said to have been stricken by homesickness during his brief stay in England.
Oar was signed by the Tractor Boys to a two-year contract in late August of last year coming from Dutch Eredivisie club FC Utrecht, where he spent the last five seasons from 2010-2011 to 2014-2015, at an undisclosed transfer fee.
The Australian midfielder allegedly failed to settle after just five months with the Blues and "after admitting he felt homesick", requested for his contract to be terminated as soon as possible. Ipswich readily granted Oar's wish.
Oar had only appeared in nine games for Mick McCarthy's squad this season and scored just one goal in five months, during an FA Cup third-round stalemate with Portsmouth in early January, as per SkySports.
However, rumors have come out that a still anonymous football club from China is preparing "to offer him a seven-figure deal Brisbane would be unable to match".
It was then reported that the Roar's football operations manager Craig Moore called to have an appointment with Oar to discuss whether he would like to return to Australia and have a second stint with Brisbane in the A-League.
No official announcements are yet to be made regarding that Australia international's final decision.
Oar first played for Brisbane in 2008-2009 and stayed for another season before transferring to the Netherlands' league. He appeared in 22 games in seasons for the Roar, netting one goal.
He spent most of his professional career with Utrecht, playing in five seasons and 117 games in all competitions, scoring 15 goals in the process.
