St Johnstone are set to sign Bosnia-Herzegovina international defender Sanel Jahic.
The powerful 31-year-old has been training with the club for a week and now they are ready to offer the French-born centre-half a deal.
Work has been going on behind the scenes to tie up loose ends at his former side Karabukspor in Turkey but Saints may struggle to get international clearance in time for Jahic to be considered for the trip to St Mirren.
Manager Tommy Wright has seen enough of Jahic during his trial spell to consider him worth of a contract.
He comes with an impressive CV, having been capped for his country 24 times and featured for club sides like AEK Athens, Zeljeznicar Sarajevo and Apoel, where he sampled Champions League football.
Jahic’s arrival will be a timely one for Saints, who have learned that Steven Anderson will be out for three months the worst-case scenario after receiving an updated specialist’s post-op assessment of his dislocated thumb.
Wright confirmed: “I would love to keep Sanel here.”
“It is clear he is a very good player and he has an impressive pedigree, including Champions League experience. I think he would be a really good addition to the squad because he can also play at right-back and as a sitting midfielder.
“I also believe Sanel is the sort of player who can handle himself physically and be comfortable on the ball. He has fitted in well over the last week and I have spoken to the chairman Steve Brown about financing a deal.
“With Steven Anderson now ruled out for even longer than originally feared, another top-quality defensive option would be invaluable.
“The surgeon has had another look at Ando and it is going to be 12 weeks. I do have options but it would be nice to have someone who won’t be just here to provide cover but who can push for a place.
“So we will speak to Sanel and his agent now and see if we can get something sorted out. He has a great CV and the fact we are in contention for him probably indicates where the game is at the moment.
“Hopefully, we will see some movement on a deal over the next 24-48 hours.”
Saints will not be pursuing their interest in former Doncaster player Martin Woods, another who has been training with the team.
“Martin impressed me as well but defensive cover has to be our priority,” said Wright.