Melbourne City are making extending Ross McCormack’s loan deal a priority, with speculation continuing to grow in the UK over the future of the Aston Villa striker, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.

McCormack has struggled since making a move to Villa Park 18 months ago, and with the 31-year-old not featuring in Steve Bruce’s plans for this season, the Sky Bet Championship outfit opted to loan McCormack out to Australia, where he has linked up with Melbourne on a temporary deal.

Since the striker’s switch to Melbourne, he has rediscovered some of his goalscoring touch, bagging 14 goals for his new employers and generally impressing.

However, with Villa and Melbourne yet to agree on an extension for McCormack, speculation in the UK was rising, with Leeds United linked with a reunion with the Scottish striker.

Warren Joyce, Melbourne’s coach, has moved to deliver an update from the Australian outfit’s point of view, confirming that McCormack’s future has become a main priority for the club.

He said: “There's lots of things that have to be discussed with Aston Villa. They're his parent club and they've got a major say in what happens.

"At the moment, we're looking to get Ross at the club and ... and doing all we can to do that.

"There's still time left in the (transfer) window to see if we can do whatever."

McCormack’s 14 goals have helped Melbourne to third in the Australian A-League, although they currently sit 11 points behind runaway leaders, Sydney FC.

The Verdict 

McCormack appears settled in Australia after a difficult spell with Aston Villa, and with the striker back amongst the goals, there is every chance he will want to extend his stay.

For Villa, they need to resolve McCormack’s future, as they don’t want to striker returning to Villa Park and picking up where he left off, as it was obviously a problem.

At the current time, the most sensible route for all parties to take, seems to be extending McCormack’s spell in Australia.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!