The on-off deal was dependent on the Scottish Premiership club snapping up out-of-favour Reading forward Marc McNulty as a replacement.
And sources in Scotland have confirmed that McNulty will join the Edinburgh club either on loan or permanently, thus paving the way for Maclaren’s return to his home town.
Parent club Darmstadt 98, who had released the 25-year-old on a season-long loan to Hibernian, sanctioned the move which will see Maclaren paid within the cap for the remainder of this season before transitioning to marquee status in 2019-20.
The move has been a long and winding road for City, whose desperate need for a striker was sparked by the bust-up between coach Warren Joyce and Uruguayan marquee Bruno Fornaroli, who has been in the wilderness since November.
Fornaroli will join Perth Glory at season’s end, by which time Joyce hopes Maclaren will have provided the goal power his previous record in the competition suggests.
He has bagged 51 goals across spells with Perth and Brisbane, who were also keen to bring him back.
Maclaren notched eight in 13 appearances on loan at Easter Road last season but was less productive in his second coming, scoring once in 12 games.
Fresh from AFC Asian Cup duty with Australia - where he scored once in five matches - Maclaren could be the missing link in spearheading City’s title quest.
He’s expected to board a plane from Scotland imminently but is unlikely to be in consideration for Sunday’s trip to Sydney FC.
He will most likely make his debut at home to Adelaide United on Saturday week.
