DINAMO Bucharest's hopes of luring Marius Niculae back to Romania in an £800,000 close season deal may be ruined by the fact the player is not keen to return to his homeland before the final stages of his career.
Dinamo officials are believed to have verbally informed their counterparts at Inverness Caledonian Thistle that the substantial bid will be forthcoming after Niculae's participation with Romania at Euro 2008 ends. However, the 27-year-old striker, w
ho started his career with Dinamo, is hoping to remain in Britain or move to Portugal before returning home. Sporting Lisbon, another of Niculae's former clubs, have also intimated an interest while Watford and QPR are among other potential suitors.
Niculae scored eight SPL goals in his debut season in the Highlands, with his form impressive enough to earn a recall to the national team, and the player has appeared as a substitute in both of Romania's Euro 2008 games so far.
Caley Thistle, meanwhile, continue to wait for an answer from the Ross County forward Andrew Barrowman over a three-year contract offer. The deal, understood to be worth more than £200,000 in addition to a signing on fee, is on the table but Barrowman is awaiting an offer from England.
Another Caley Thistle target, St Johnstone's Andy Jackson, has no current intention of leaving Perth. Graham Bayne is likely to be offered as part-exchange for the Irish youth international, but Jackson is keen to see out next season with the First Division side. Dunfermline remain favourites to sign Bayne, despite Caley Thistle seeking a £30,000 fee.
The full article contains 275 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
