Russian club close to signing Socceroo defender

Socceroos right-back Ivan Franjic could sign with Russian Club Torpedo Moscow as soon as the weekend.

The 26-year-old has garnered huge interest from Torpedo, with club president quoted in Russian agency R-Sport on Thursday saying, "almost all of the agreements regarding the transfer" have been agreed.

Torpedo is keen to bolster their squad after winning promotion to the Russian Premier League for the upcoming season, their first in the top flight since 2006.

The European move would cap a stunning rise for Franjic, who was working as a carpenter in Melbourne five years ago before getting a shot in the Hyundai A-League with Brisbane Roar.

He has gone on to win three titles with the club as well as force his way into the Socceroos side, where he played at the recent FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

He started at right-back in the opening game against Chile, setting up Tim Cahill’s goal with his accurate cross.

Unfortunately for Franjic his tournament was cut short soon after when he suffered a hamstring injury and was forced off.

Franjic, who also attracted interest from Croatian club Hajduk Split, has returned to training with the Roar but it now appears just a matter of time before he clinches his move abroad.