Maclaren, 23, had been linked with 2.Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern among many suitors after becoming a free agent following two years at Brisbane Roar.

However he has opted to join Darmstadt, who are coached by ex-Germany international Torsten Frings and have just been relegated from the top flight.

The 2016/17 joint A-League Golden Boot winner flew to Europe late this week to complete the deal, putting pen to paper in south-west Germany on Friday morning (German time).

"I have been extremely flattered by the amount of interest shown in me from many clubs around the world and after careful consideration I have decided that Darmstadt is a great club for me to take the next step in my career," Maclaren said.

"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.

"I am really looking forward to meeting up with my new teammates for pre-season 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."

Darmstadt finished bottom of the Bundesliga in second season up, having won promotion from the 2.Bundesliga in 2014-15.

They have only scored 26 goals in 33 league matches, with Croatian striker Antonio Colak their top scorer with four strikes.

Frings said: "We are very happy that we were able to prevail against strong competition and win the race for him.

“Jamie is a strong player, who is very dangerous in the opposition penalty area.”