Aston Villa exile Ross McCormack wants to extend his loan spell at Melbourne City beyond its current scheduled end date.

The former Leeds hitman is due to return from Australia on 25 January but has said that he believes talks are underway to prolong that agreement and that he would like to stay Down Under.

McCormack has hit 12 goals in just 14 A League appearances for City, who sit third in the division, 13 points off table-toppers Sydney FC, including a superb free-kick against Adelaide in October.

Former Wigan Athletic manager Warren Joyce manages Melbourne and is also keen to keep hold of the striker, who sits second in the A League list of top scorers so far this season.

McCormack told Fox Sports: "I think the club might be talking to Aston Villa as well to see if I can stay for the season. It'd be good if they could do that."

The Verdict

Villa need a striker who is on form and firing but that Steve Bruce has no desire to bring back McCormack tells you everything you need to know about how poor the Scotsman's attitude and performances were at Villa Park.

A continuation of the loan spell works well for both parties - Bruce clearly feels he can't get McCormack to replicate his Melbourne form at Villa.

Villa fans - would you want McCormack back? Let us know in the comments below...