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Unsettled coach Mark Rudan will reportedly leave Wellington Phoenix at the end of this season, cutting short his A-League contract by a year.

Wellington Phoenix head coach Mark Rudan has reportedly informed the A-League club he won't see out the second year of his contract and will return to Australia.

Speculation has surrounded Rudan's future since he revealed in January he missed his Sydney-based family and was also unhappy with an unspecified lack of ambition at the Kiwi club.

NZME reported on Friday that Rudan had made his mind up to leave Wellington at the end of a season in which the Phoenix's stocks have risen considerably.

The 43-year-old has steered the historic under-achievers to fourth in the standings with three rounds remaining.

They are virtually guaranteed to reach the finals for the first time in four seasons.

Rudan is preparing his team to face the Roar in Brisbane on Friday night and is reportedly ready to announce his plans next week.

He has been linked with the newly-formed Western United FC, with speculation he will be their inaugural head coach when they make their A-League debut next season.

Phoenix management have been contacted for comment on the report.

Club bosses had previously been unwilling to be drawn on Rudan's mid-season demand that his family be relocated to Wellington or he would quit the club.

The outspoken Australian had made that stipulation public a week after slamming his bosses for taking a mid-season Phoenix home match against Sydney FC to Campbelltown Stadium rather than staging it in New Zealand when the club's Westpac Stadium venue became unavailable.

Former title-winning Sydney FC captain Rudan has been widely credited with Wellington's improvement since succeeding Darije Kalezic last May.

He hand-picked his imports to good effect and has injected self belief into a number of existing Phoenix players who had endured a run of unsuccessful seasons.