Socceroos midfielder Nick Carle has put his club future and a possible A-League return on hold until after his World Cup dream is decided.

Sydney FC have been aggressively wooing the gifted playmaker from English club Crystal Palace, making him their top priority to fill their Australian marquee player vacancy.

The 28-year-old is keen to put the speculation on hold until he finds out whether he has made Australia's 23-man World Cup squad, though he admits a move to the A-League champions is an enticing prospect.

His fond memories of a short pre-season training stint at Sydney FC under coach Vitezslav Lavicka last year while visiting family in Australia could prove just as pivotal as the terms of any contract.

"The coach is a legend, a real gentleman," Carle told AAP.

"I worked with him for two-and-a-half weeks during last year's pre-season and I knew right then they were going to have a great year.

"It's always nice to hear people are interested, but I really want to concentrate on the World Cup, try to make the side, and think about my (club) future after that."

Carle is in a dogfight for one of the few vacant midfield berths for South Africa - and much will depend on his performances at the Socceroos' pre-World Cup training camp in Melbourne.

Much will also depend on what balance coach Pim Verbeek wants in his squad, with the attack-minded Carle perhaps vying with the Dutchman's penchant for holding midfielders.

He also unfairly battles with his passing and vision-based game being declared a luxury item as he competes with midfielders who offer more earthy defensive qualities.

But Carle believes he has been working hard to round his game, and hopes to show Verbeek and his coaching staff exactly that during the camp ahead of Monday night's friendly against New Zealand at the MCG.

"I've got a lot of personal goals and one of them is to make the final 23, so I've still got a lot to do in the next few days," Carle said.

"I've got to make sure I do everything right to get in that 23."

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