THE Newcastle Jets have confirmed that Western Sydney Wanderers have officially approached their head coach, Carl Robinson, in a bid to sign him for next A-League season and beyond.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Jets said in a statement on Wednesday that the club had "granted permission for the two parties to enter discussions".
"There will be no further comment from the club at this time," the statement added.
Robinson, who joined Newcastle after the sacking of Ernie Merrick in January, is under contract to the Jets for another three seasons.
Wanderers sacked their incumbent coach, Jean Paul de Marigny, on Monday.
Robinson's arrival at the Jets last season sparked a remarkable form revival. They won seven and drew three of his 11 games at the helm to narrowly miss out on the finals, finishing eighth.
In the process, they beat a host of play-off clubs, including eventual champions Sydney and runners-up Melbourne City.
It has been reported that if Robinson was to join Wanderers, he would take his assistant coach, Kenny Miller, with him.
It is unclear why the former Welsh international would be considering other options, but the Western Sydney speculation will do little to quash concerns about Newcastle's financial position.
The Jets have already released a host of players since the end of last season, either permanently or on loan deals.
Among those who have moved on are Dimi Petratos, Abdiel Arroyo, Wes Hoolahan, Matt Millar, James Donachie and, in all likelihood, Joe Ledley.
In addition, young striker Joey Champness is trying to terminate a two-season contract with the Jets to join Brisbane.
Jets owner Martin Lee has been trying to sell the club for more than 12 months but it appears nothing concrete has emerged from a host of expressions of interest.