Rising midfield star Rhys Bozinovski has secured a move to Dutch Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo in a blow to Perth Glory's bid to secure a finals berth.
Bozinovski joined Glory ahead of the current A-League Men campaign after Western United - his club for four years - went into hibernation.
The 21-year-old has played a key role in turning around Perth's fortunes, starting in 14 of the club's 15 games this season to lift the back-to-back wooden spooners to within two points of sixth spot.
Bozinovski's hot performances caught the attention of Heracles head coach Ernest Faber, who was the former technical director at Adelaide.
It's been reported Glory will receive a transfer fee in the vicinity of $450,000 for Bozinovski.
Socceroos attacking midfielder Ajdin Hrustic joined Heracles in July, with the club currently sitting 16th out of 18 teams after 21 games and facing a big battle to avoid relegation. "I've always said that Rhys is a future Socceroo and we would have loved to have kept him for longer," Glory football director Stan Lazaridis said.
"But obviously this is a big opportunity for him to advance his career by playing in a high-quality European league. "We fought hard to sign him initially and while the club will benefit from this move, we watch him leave with a heavy heart. "We'd like to thank Rhys for his contribution to the club during his time with us and wish him all the very best for the future."
Glory will be aiming to back up their 2-1 win over Auckland when they take on fourth-placed Macarthur at Campbelltown Stadium on Friday night.
