After an ill-fated four-month foray in China, the gifted attacker is poised to return to the 2.Bundesliga - the division where his six-year love affair with German football began in 2011 at Fortuna Düsseldorf.
It's understood that Kruse, 28, is close to making a decision on his next career destination and an official announcement is expected this month.
Persistent rumours indicate that Kaiserslautern - the new home of former Brisbane Roar winger Brandon Borrello - are one of his suitors as they step up the hunt for attacking weapons.
Wherever Kruse goes it will be a decision predicated on gaining the match time he has been missing in the past 12 months, which has seen him play just seven club games.
Despite the lack of action, Kruse made a telling difference off the bench when he emerged in the last half hour of Thursday night's tense 3-2 World Cup win over Saudi Arabia.
His intelligent movement, virtuosity and perception provided a dimension that had previously been missing against the Saudis.
It begged the question of just how much more effective the 28 year old might be for his country if he has regular minutes in his legs.
It's vital for both Kruse - and Australia - that his next move dusts off the cobwebs of his CSL misadventure, where he left Liaoning Whowin unpaid and rarely played, and the disappointment of struggling to make the starting line up at Bayer Levurkusen in his final season there.
While injuries have been a significant roadblock in his career, a return to Germany, where he also had a loan spell with Stuttgart, will give 51-cap Kruse the chance to flourish again in familiar territory.
In addition to Borrello, Germany's second tier is also home to fringe Socceroo Ben Halloran (FC Heidenheim) and now Socceroos attacker Jamie Maclaren (Darmstadt).
Fellow Socceroos Mitch Langerak (Stuttgart) and Mathew Leckie (Hertha Berlin) fly the Aussie flag in the Bundesliga, with Tomi Juric rumoured to be joining them next season in Germany's elite division.
