Dunfermline Athletic have taken Dundee United defender Ross Smith on trial with a view to signing the player on a permanent deal.
The 21-year-old centre-back, who has been capped for Scotland at all youth levels, has been training with the Pars and looks set to play in a bounce game for the Fife club next week.
Smith has previously been out on loan with Peterhead and Stenhousemuir, although under new SPFL rules he cannot be loaned to Dunfermline as they already have United striker Jordan Moore on loan.
Pars boss Jim Jefferies is hopeful a deal can be thrashed out if he likes the look of the centre-half.
“We can’t take any more on loan but there might be an opportunity, we don’t know,” he told Courier Sport. “If Dundee United were to let him go then we’ll get first chance to see.
“I’d heard good things about Ross because Billy Brown had tipped me off about him when he was in charge of East Fife.
“We’ll see how it goes and he’s done well in training this week, but you’ve got to see him in a game situation.
“We’ll do that on Tuesday and we’ll have another trialist probably playing alongside him.”
The Pars have completed the loan deal for Aberdeen striker Lawrence Shankland and it has emerged the League One club pulled off a coup to capture his signature.
Courier Sport understands Championship title contenders Hamilton were keen on taking the 18-year-old on loan, but Jefferies is delighted to have snapped up the talented prospect.
“He’s a player who attracted a lot of interest when he was at Queen’s Park I think St Mirren, Aberdeen and Dundee United were vying for his signature at the time and he chose Aberdeen, so obviously they think a lot of him,” said Jefferies.
“We were actually supposed to get him before the Stenhousemuir game but Derek McInnes phoned to say he had one or two injury problems and the laddie would have to be on the bench for the first team.
“So if he’s good enough to be considered at that level for the Premier League then he’ll hopefully do us a wee turn.”
Jefferies revealed that Norwegian striker Preben Erland is unlikely to be handed a deal.
Erland, who plays for Norwegian club Hundvag, was to train with the Pars this week but a rib injury has scuppered that.