NEWCASTLE are set to make a play for Olyroos captain Mark Milligan, who walked out on Sydney FC in March to chase his European dream.

Milligan, who is out of contract, has been based in Europe for the past three months trying to secure a club. He spent six weeks at Arsenal in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics and was most recently at German club Werder Bremen.

Milligan is considering a return to the A-League.

"Mark would be the ideal person if we could get him, number one, and at the right price, number two," Jets owner Con Constantine said.

"I like him as a player. He is a lovely boy off the park, but when he gets on it he changes. You are dealing with another person. He has a bit of mongrel in him.

"Of the eight clubs in the A-League, I think seven would love to have Mark. All we can do is see if it is possible."

Sydney have already indicated Milligan would not be welcomed back but the Jets have space on their roster for the defensive midfielder despite having little room to move under the $1.9million salary cap.

The season-ending injury to Jason Hoffman has freed up some cash, but any long-term deal would most likely be heavily weighted financially to the latter stages of the contract.

"First and foremost, we want to see if he wants to come across and at the right price. Season one we may not have as much to offer, but we can build it up in seasons two and three," Constantine said.

The Jets are also believed to be in talks with an overseas striker.

"That is more for next year," Constantine said. "We need to get a squad next year that is going to take us into the Asian market. Having said that, I want to stitch up our players [off contract] too."

James Gardiner