St Johnstone and Raith Rovers players set for swap deal

St Johnstone and Raith Rovers are on the verge of swapping Josh Rae and Sam Stanton.

Courier Sport can reveal that the two Championship clubs have agreed to the deal in principle, as have both players.

Raith’s desire to sign goalkeeper, Rae, comes as no surprise.

After struggling at McDiarmid Park, he got his career up and running again during a second half of the season Kirkcaldy loan.

He was later transfer-listed by Saints head coach, Simo Valakari, who confirmed last month that Raith wanted to sign the former Airdrie man.

The Perth club had no intention of letting Rae move on for free, however.

And Valakari has jumped at the chance to bring in attacking midfielder, Stanton, when that possibility emerged.

The 31-year-old, who played for Hibs, Dundee United and Phoenix Rising earlier in his career, was a star man in the Championship with Raith before a turn of events that led to him deciding he wanted to move on.

“My head wasn’t in it any longer,” Stanton said in January, following off-field issues involving his family.

Raith didn’t want to let him sign for a league rival, so he dropped down a division on loan and helped Arbroath clinch promotion.

Now, with a year still left on his contract, the chance of signing Rae has persuaded them to allow Stanton to follow team-mate, Jamie Gullan, to Perth.

Goals and creativity

Saints have plenty of midfielders on their books but none with the creativity and eye for a goal in the final third to rival Stanton.

Having joined Raith in January 2022, the former Scotland under-21 international will leave with 121 appearances to his name and 16 goals.

That includes four – two of them outright winners – in the historic winning streak against Fife rivals, Dunfermline two season ago.

Stanton is set to be the fifth player Saints sign from the Championship ahead of their return for pre-season next week.

Gullan, Jack Baird and Morgan Boyes have all penned two-year deals, with Reghan Tumilty, another man who has Raith connections, close to joining.

Valakari nailed his colours to the mast in May by stating he wanted Championship experience through the spine of his squad as he seeks to secure a swift return to the Premiership.

The Finn has been true to his word.

He may well broaden his horizons in the second half of his recruitment drive and it wouldn’t be a shock if Saints reach double figures for incomings by the time the summer transfer window shuts.