Dundee United have been told they will have to pay a six-figure loan fee if they want to re-sign Pavol Safranko.
United sporting director Tony Asghar has opened talks with his club, Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe, over a possible switch.
United boss Micky Mellon is keen to add another striker with Safranko and Ipswich Town’s James Norwood firmly on his radar.
Safranko’s Romanian club are prepared to let him go but want a significant payment to let him return to Tannadice for the season.
The Slovakian international has a release clause of around £675,000 written into his Sepsi contract.
United couldn’t get anywhere near that fee but would be prepared to do a permanent deal if Safranko’s employers were willing to significantly drop those demands.
News of the 25-year-old’s possible return to Tannadice has already excited the United support.
Safranko previously had a successful loan spell with United in the 2018-19 season but they failed to win promotion from the Championship and were unable to sign him from Aalborg permanently.
Safranko is known to be keen on the move and for the chance to play in the Scottish Premiership.
Another active striking target for United manager Micky Mellon is Ipswich Town’s Norwood.
He is frontman he previously worked with at Tranmere.
United have also left the door open on that front but that is another deal that would be financially heavy for United due to his current Ipswich Town wages.
Mellon is now waiting to see what Asghar and owner Mark Ogren can land, although he is also confident he will have top scorer Lawrence Shankland back and fit for the Rangers game after the international break.
The United boss is also aware there could also be outgoing activity. He has brought in 17-year-old defender Lewis Neilson and already he has had a host of English clubs, including Everton, monitoring him closely.
Mellon admitted: “The young players have just taken it in their stride.
“Lewis Neilson is an example of someone who won’t be moved off his path.
“I don’t know his family personally but know enough from people at the club to know they are very grounded and he won’t get carried away.
“If you know him as we do, there isn’t much chance of anything coming along and knocking him off his stride because he’s a very level-headed kid.
“He’s a great lad who is desperate to get better all the time.
“He is one of the lads who asks for more all the time, he’s always asking questions and trying to find out how he can get better.
“So he has all the ingredients you need to become a good player.”
