North was lined up to be the figurehead for the Townsville-based club in their first season after agreeing to be their star signing.

But Con Constantine at Newcastle Jets has instead secured a tidy deal to send North to join an as yet unnamed Korean club, but believed to be Incheon United.

Fury boss Don Matheson tonight confirmed the deal was done and the club was now without a marquee for its debut season.

"We stood by what we always said to Jade that if an offer to play overseas came up, we wouldn't stop him," Matheson told au.fourfourtwo.com.

No details of the deal done with the Korean club have so far been confirmed, and Matheson is unaware if it means North will leave the Jets immediately or play until the end of this year, or later.

However it is understood he may play just three more games for the Jets before departing for the reported $2 million, three year deal at Roar star Matt McKay's former club in Incheon.

The city is Korea's third largest and the club is just four years old. Although it was K-League runner up in 2005, it reached just ninth position last year and currently sit in seventh position.

The current squad is almost entirely Korean with just two Serbian and one Montenegro imports.

"He had six months left on his contract so there will be some fee to Newcastle Jets," said Matheson. "But I don't know when exactly he joins the new club or what it is.

"I spoke to Jade today but just about how quickly he needed to make a decision. We'll speak again tomorrow more informally about the details."

Now the club is focussing on launching a hunt for a new marquee star, with head coach Ian Ferguson already putting out feelers.

"At least we have time to find the right person and it's not all being done at the last minute," said Matheson.

"I'm just off the phone to Fergie and we have a few names in mind. Jade's appointment came in for a bit of criticism and this gives us an opportunity to look again at the situation.

"But we are a developmental club and Jade was to have been at the centre of developing local talent. We were excited to have secured him for all the reasons we gave at the time."