The 23-year-old is currently without a club after leaving Sydney FC at the end of the last season and has had trials with Premier League trio Manchester City, Fulham and Arsenal.

The defender returned from captaining the Australia Olympic team in Beijing to feature for the Socceroos against South Africa in London on Tuesday and denied he is set for a return to the A-League.

He told the Herald Sun: "I've sat on it this long. I've waited. My heart is set on coming over here.

"I've had a taste of (English football) with trials and I love it, so I'm definitely staying. Hopefully I did enough against South Africa to keep conversations going and seal something.

"I just have to hold on tight and see what comes. There's been a lot of chat about it, but hopefully I can turn that into a deal soon.

"I want to wait for the right deal. I don't just want to sign somewhere for the sake of signing, I want to make sure I do the right thing."

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, West Ham's Alan Curbishley and Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp were reportedly in the stands at Loftus Road earlier this week as Milligan replaced captain Lucas Neill at half-time against South Africa.

Milligan could face problems obtaining a UK work permit so his agent Tom Brooks has also been exploring possible clubs in Portugal, Spain and Italy.

"We are looking elsewhere," added Milligan. "If I came anywhere near England, it would have to be a loan deal, which makes it difficult."