‘Bittersweet moment’: Melbourne City captain Jamie Maclaren to farewell A-League

An “emotional” Jamie Maclaren will depart the A-League at the end of Melbourne City’s finals campaign, with India mooted as the star striker’s likely destination.

City announced on Tuesday that Maclaren, the A-League’s all-time leading scorer with 154 goals from 232 appearances, was leaving the club to “pursue an opportunity” outside the A-League.

Sources have suggested that the 30-year-old marksman is headed for the Indian Super League to accept a deal far more lucrative than what City would have offered him to sign a new contract with the Melbourne club.

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“It’s a bittersweet moment for me to leave the club that I’ve called home for the past 5½ years,” said Maclaren, who has netted 115 goals in 163 appearances in all competitions for City after joining them in January 2019 following stints in Europe with Darmstadt 98 (Germany) and Hibernian (Scotland).

“Driving in to (the club) today I was a little bit emotional. It’s been a long time. This place feels like home.

“(There) are a lot of good memories, (and) a lot of bad ones, but that’s part of being a team and a club that has such high standards.”

Four of Maclaren’s five A-League Golden Boot awards have come during his time with City, where he also was part of three premiership-winning outfits and the club’s 2021 championship-winning squad, although he didn’t play in City’s 3-1 grand final win over Sydney FC due to being in quarantine following Socceroos commitments in Asia.

He scored in City’s 1-0 weekend win over Western United to ensure the club would again be playing finals football.

However, the pressure of captaining City this season has seemed to have affected