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Melbourne City sign Manchester City duo Luke Brattan and Anthony Caceres

Melbourne City have signed former Brisbane Roar midfielder Luke Brattan and Anthony Caceres for next season.

It is understood that Brattan has agreed to a one-year loan back to the A-League from Manchester City, who signed the 26-year-old on a free transfer last year.

Meanwhile, Anthony Caceres is also believed to have extended his loan deal from Manchester to Melbourne for another year, giving John van 't Schip's side further depth in the middle of the park ahead of the imminent departure of Socceroos star Aaron Mooy.

Both moves are allowed because the players had signed for Manchester City prior to Football Federation Australia's closure of what has been dubbed the 'Caceres' loophole.

Caceres was released by Central Coast Mariners midway through last season before linking up with Manchester City.

He then made a controversial loan switch to Melbourne, prompting calls from other clubs for FFA to review their frameworks.

One-time Socceroo squad member Brattan is back in the country and was last week spotted in Melbourne after spending the majority of last season training with City's elite development squad in Manchester.

He spent a brief period on loan to Bolton Wanderers but never played a first-team game for them, and they were subsequently relegated to League One at the end of their campaign.

Brattan's last competitive match was Brisbane's 1-0 FFA Cup loss to Western Sydney Wanderers in August last year, before seeking a release from the Roar due to unpaid superannuation and then joining the English Premier League powerhouse.

Brattan and Caceres will likely become key figures in midfield for Melbourne City next season, with Mooy expected to announce a shift to a European club in the near future.

There are also reports that City are poised to sign Bruno Fornaroli and another star player as their marquee signings for the new season. FFA are also in the midst of establishing a third marquee player slot that will allow the club to sign former Everton forward Tim Cahill.