The 31-year-old centre-back, who recently saw a proposed move to Chinese giants Shandong Luneng collapse, is desperate to keep alive his hopes of making the Socceroos World Cup squad.

And sources from China have claimed newly promoted Liaoning are on the verge of securing his services.

The cash-strapped club, who won the 2009 Chinese second tier by 10 points after being relegated from the CSL the season before, are desperate to bolster their foreign legion as they try to secure their top flight status.

Another Australian, Ryan Griffiths, enjoyed a decent spell with Liaoning from 2007 to 2008 before his move to Beijing Guoan.

Coyne, who has won seven international caps, has not played for the Socceroos since a 2-0 win against Bahrain last June, whilst he has been overlooked for every Australia squad since his return to the A-League.