Dundee have received a major boost with confirmation that influential defender Rhys Weston has decided to sign a new deal with the club.
Weston was believed to be on the radar of newly-promoted Dunfermline and the 30-year-old Welshman was expected to be heading for the SPL new boys.
However boss Barry Smith has managed to persuade him his future lies at Dens and the Dark Blues’ gaffer is also hopeful Weston’s central defensive partner Craig McKeown and winger Nicky Riley will soon commit to stay at the club.
Weston who gave a memorable insight into the turmoil he experienced when the Dark Blues entered administration is expected to formally put pen to paper this week.
Smith, who has returned to his desk following a short break, was reluctant to discuss exactly who would be re-signing until formalities had been observed.
“We are hopeful that a couple of the lads will have re-signed by the end of the week,” he said. “There is nothing guaranteed but we are close.”
However it looks certain Smith will be losing Craig Forsyth, with the highly-rated 21-year-old being heavily linked with a move to English Championship side Crystal Palace.
“I am just back so I am not sure what is happening with Craig, but a chance to play in the Championship would probably be too big to turn down,” he said.
“To be honest, I would not stand in his way as he has had a brilliant season.”
Smith is also starting to run the rule over potential new signing targets. However, he admitted it might be a while before he has identified which players to aim for as he has been inundated with CVs.
“I have had umpteen emails and calls from agents and it is just a case of sifting through them to see who is going to best fit into our team. I would stress that there is nothing definite at the moment.”