News broke on Monday of a possible swap deal involving the disgruntled Uruguayan and Perth Glory hitman Andy Keogh.

On the face of it, it looks like a plausible scenario.

Both are foreigners, both are proven strikers with goalscoring pedigree in the A-League.

Fornaroli is out of favour with his coaching staff, while sources suggest that Glory initiated the call, suggesting that they wouldn't mind moving on their pugnacious Irishman.

But, according to City insiders, the chances of such an arrangement taking place are very unlikely during this transfer window, which ends on January 31.

For a start Keogh, at 32, is older than Fornaroli and has plenty of miles on the clock. The club's preference is to replace Fornaroli with a striker who is younger and has several seasons' upside.

Nothing can ever be ruled out, but the club would undoubtedly like to get Fornaroli off their books.

He is a marquee signing on a package that could have earned him $1 million with appearances and he is taking up a visa spot.

But they are reluctant to offload him to another A-League club: what could be worse than their former main man coming back to haunt them in the finals? And there are no transfer fees allowed between A-League clubs, so they would get no compensation for him.

City's preference would be to move him overseas, even on a free transfer, as that would get his wages off their books and free up the marquee spot (as well as giving them another visa place on the roster).

This is a game fraught with danger for Fornaroli too.

He will be a free agent in June, but if he doesn't play between now and then he will have had nearly two years where he has hardly played any competitive games. He missed the bulk of the 2017-18 season with a serious injury, only returning near the end, and was dumped after a handful of matches this campaign.

His market value is likely to have diminished in Australia, and will be even less overseas as clubs will look at his injury and inactivity and be reluctant to pay handsomely for his services.

City are looking to change their culture and that is why Fornaroli is on the outer; despite his proven track record coach Warren Joyce, backed by the club's management, has been prepared to do without its most potent attacker to make a point to all at the club and those who join thereafter. Exceptions will be made for no one, no matter who they are.

It's not gone down well with fans, who who have seen supporter favourites like Tim Cahill and Neil Kilkenny depart during Joyce's tenure. But the coach has stuck to his guns and been backed by the management.

City's soccer has hardly been full of flair since the Fornaroli schism, but the results have been good.
Since the fallout occurred during the round five defeat to Brisbane, City have played six games, taking a possible 13 points from 18, and their only loss has been to league leaders Perth in WA.

City have conceded 10 goals in their 11 games, and have the best defensive record in the entire competition.
They currently lie fourth with 20 points, six less than Glory and three behind cross-city rivals Victory.

The club's hierarchy know that City are getting points winning ugly, and they are keen to see tactical and stylistic changes which would see more attacking fluency.

O'Halloran has returned home for personal reasons after barely six months at the club, and his departure gives City other options including another foreign visa spot.

*Kearyn Baccus, who has been ever-present since joining City as an injury replacement player in mid October, has inked a three and a half year deal to become a permanent signing.

He has taken the spot on the roster vacated by Anthony Caceres, who moved to Sydney early in the transfer window.

The 27-year-old said: ''It's been a big couple of months with the club and now I’m just glad I can officially call Melbourne City home.

"I’ve wanted to come for a while now and I’m happy to be here now.

“I want to win something and I think with the team that we have that that’s achievable this year, with the coach especially, anything is possible.''