The A-League Champions are in advanced talks with the player’s management and hope to be close to announcing a deal.

Flores’s signature would be a major boost to the Gosford outfit’s attacking arsenal after losing a host of key personnel over the off-season.

Bernie Ibini and Maty Ryan have both already confirmed their exit from Bluetongue Stadium, and Oliver Bozanic is set to finalise his move to Europe this week. Rightback Pedj Bojic has joined Sydney FC and Tom Rogic also left last January.

But coach Graham Arnold will hope the silky-skilled Argentine will be key to assembling one of the most potent attacking combinations in the league.

A deal for the 2013-14 campaign would see the 27-year-old linking up with Kiwi international Michael McGlinchey and marksman Matt Simon, who has returned to Bluetongue after an ill-fated spell in the K-League.

Further boosting the Mariners’ stocks will be the return in round four of last season’s Golden Boot winner Daniel McBreen – who is on a five-month loan deal alongside Ibini at Shanghai SIPG in China – and the continued rise of young gun Mitchell Duke.

The injection of South American flair in attack is an enticing prospect for Mariners fans ahead of the club’s Championship defence.

The Mariners' interest comes as Victory are keen to offload their international marquee to make room on the books for Greece national team captain Giorgos Karagounis.

A former Johnny Warren medallist, Flores took the A-League by storm when he signed for Adelaide United in 2010.

But he was far from his best last season, when he was brought back from the Chinese Super League by Victory coach Ange Postecoglou.

He made 22 appearances for Victory in 2012-13 and scored 4 goals.

Postecoglou was outspoken about his need to get Flores off the books to make room for Karagounis.

"It's no secret that I'm trying to sign a new marquee," Postecoglou told au.fourfourtwo.com last week.

"And unfortunately it's just the way the system is in Australia that means I have to lose someone to make space."