Melbourne City have confirmed Socceroos winger Marco Tilio will not be returning to the club for the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
After joining City on a season-long loan from Scottish giants Celtic, Tilio went on to play a pivotal role for Aurelio Vidmar’s side as they lifted just their second ever Isuzu UTE A-League Championship as well as qualifying for next season’s AFC Champions League Elite competition.
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Under the terms of his loan agreement, the 23-year-old subsequently returned to parent club Celtic and has even featured for the Scottish giants during their pre-season.
It’s understood the 10-time Socceroos winger will now be joining another club in Europe.
The 23-year-old played a key role in City’s Championship-winning campaign, scoring five goals and registering five assists in his 19 matches to help secure City their second league title.
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“Marco has been a tremendous player for our Club – not just for what he’s produced on the pitch, but also for the way he’s conducted himself as a professional,” said Melbourne City Director of Football, Michael Petrillo.
“He’s played a major role across two successful stints with City, and we’ve all enjoyed watching him develop into one of the country’s brightest attacking talents.
“While we were keen to extend his stay and continued discussions with Celtic, we fully support Marco’s ambition to once again challenge himself in Europe.
“We thank him for everything he’s contributed to the Melbourne City and wish him every success in the next stage of his career.”
After joining City from Sydney FC in 2020 Tilio went on to shine for the club, winning three Premierships and an Isuzu UTE A-League Championship before he was then snapped up Celtic for what was then a record Australian outbound transfer fee.
Initially struggling in Scotland due to injuries, Tilio then re-joined City on a half-season loan during the Isuzu UTE A-League 2023-24 campaign before then extending that deal to cover the full 2024-25 campaign.
Now it seems as though the 23-year-old could now be set to join former Western United striker Noah Botic in the Austrian Bundesliga.
According to multiple reports online Celtic have struck a deal with Austrian side Rapid Vienna that would see Tilio move to the Austrian capital on a loan deal which could turn into a permanent move should certain performance-based clauses be met.
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