Sydney officials have not given up efforts to convince the 36-year-old former Dutch captain to accept their one-year, one million-dollar plus (830,000 USD) offer instead of rival bids from the United States and Qatar.

"We're still confident of getting him, but we'd like a decision sooner rather than later," Sydney FC chief executive George Perry told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"From our talks, he's still very keen, but he wants a few more weeks to consult friends and family.

"What we're going to do now is get back to him with a timeline because ideally we'd like this wrapped up by mid-June, if not earlier.

"Phillip (Cocu) is definitely our first choice, but not by a long way. We've always had three or four options."

Nigerian playmaker Jay-Jay Okocha, Turkish striker Hakan Sukur and Socceroos' Spanish-based striker John Aloisi are firming as the alternatives to Cocu, although rival A-League club Queensland Roar are also chasing Aloisi's signature.

"The good thing is the feedback we're getting from the players we've been speaking to has all been positive," Perry said.

"With the benefit of the (Asian) Champions League, our profile has been raised worldwide. People are starting to realise the A-League is the real deal."

Sydney FC must beat China's Shanghai Shenhua here Wednesday to give them hope before the final match of the AFC Asian Champions' League group phase against Japanese champions Urawa Red Diamonds in Tokyo on May 23.