Football
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Australia striker Jamie Maclaren completes move to Darmstadt

Australia international Jamie Maclaren has signed for German club Darmstadt.

Former Brisbane Roar striker Maclaren, 23, has signed a three-year contract with the club, who have been relegated from the Bundesliga and will play in Germany's second tier next season.

It comes with the promise of significant minutes, giving Maclaren the chance to take his game to the next level after scoring more goals in the past two A-League seasons than any other Australian player.

Darmstadt are coached by ex-Germany international Torsten Frings, who has been impressed by Maclaren's output for Brisbane and is believed to be ready to back him as the club's main striker.

It is also the ideal platform for Maclaren to push his case for more Socceroos involvement ahead of the Confederations Cup and the final stretch of World Cup qualification.

"Torsten Frings has been a huge factor in my decision as a highly decorated player for Germany and a very talented coach who has similar ambitions to my own," Maclaren said.

"I am really looking forward to meeting up with my new teammates for preseason and am very excited by the new challenge that I will face playing in Germany.

"I hope to continue to develop and progress my career and I am confident of doing so with Torsten and Darmstadt."

Maclaren is expected to be named in Australia coach Ange Postecoglou's initial 30-man squad, to be announced on Monday, for the crucial clash against Saudi Arabia at Adelaide Oval on June 8.

He had previously been linked with a move to Kaiserslautern, who have signed the Roar's Brandon Borrello and another talented young Australian, Jake Brimmer, from Liverpool.

It is Maclaren's second attempt at carving out a career in Europe, having previously spent four years in England with Blackburn Rovers as a youth team player.

He scored 43 goals in 60 appearances across all competitions for Brisbane after signing a two-year deal in July 2015.

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