James Troisi is hopeful a marquee contract offer from Melbourne Victory is forthcoming because he doesn't want to make another "gamble" in his on-again, off-again career.
The 28-year-old is back in the Socceroos fold for the first time since the 2015 Asian Cup final and in contention to replace the injured Tom Rogic in midfield for Thursday's crucial World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
He is also keeping a close eye on matters back home following the sale of Oliver Bozanic to J-League club Ventforet Kofu, which went through just before he left Melbourne to link up with the squad in Tehran.
Bozanic's move has freed up a marquee spot at Victory, and it is expected they will use it to re-sign Troisi, who is out of contract in May and attracting strong interest from abroad and from other A-League clubs.
However, Troisi is mindful of how being "stuffed around" by clubs in Saudi Arabia and China halted his progress as a player and saw him drop off the international radar.
"At this point in time in my career I wouldn't like to take a gamble," Troisi told AAP.
"For me, sometimes going back to Europe is a little bit of a gamble.
"But if a good offer comes -- the whole package, your football, your money ... you never know what options you're going to have.
"The most important thing is for me to be playing and happy.
"I could say I want to stay at Victory but if I don't get offered that [marquee] position it might not be possible.
"I haven't heard anything yet. They have the power to do that now, so I guess we'll wait and see how they approach it."
The last time Troisi wore green and gold in a competitive match he scored the decisive goal in Australia's 2-1 triumph over South Korea in the Asian Cup decider.
More than two years on Troisi admits he is clueless as to how he fits into coach Ange Postecoglou's plans, although his ability to also play out wide and up front offers flexibility.
"Obviously it's been a long time but that's how football is," he said.
"You've just got to keep focus, keep working hard and that's what I've done.
"I've been a big part of what we've created and I'm still pretty young -- young enough for there to be a lot more to come."