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Leeds United: Dickov deal on the cards - Grayson
Leeds United are working to finalise a deal with former Scotland international Paul Dickov – but the club do not expect the veteran forward to feature in tomorrow's crunch derby with Huddersfield Town.
United manager Simon Grayson confirmed that negotiations with the 37-year-old's representatives were ongoing as he put the finishing touches to his plans for a vital League One game at the Galpharm Stadium.
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Dickov is a free agent after cancelling the contract he held with Leicester City at the start of this month, and United are hoping to sign him until the end of the season after inviting him to train with their first-team squad at Thorp Arch.
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A potential transfer to Leeds was complicated by FIFA rules stating that a player cannot appear for more than two clubs from the same country in a single season. Dickov has already played for Leicester this term and spent time on loan at Derby.
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Asked whether FIFA had given permission for Leeds to press ahead with a deal, Grayson said: "I don't want to go into too many details but we're moving down the line towards a way of sorting it.
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"We're in negotiations with him and his agent but I wouldn't have thought it will be done before the weekend. There are too many complications with it but I like Paul as a player.
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"His experience is phenomenal and he's a fiery little so-and-so. If we do sign him, he can only add to the quality in our dressing room."
The signing of Dickov would give Grayson the use of a forward who has won promotion several times with various clubs during his long career in English football, but United's boss is confident that his existing squad will tighten their grip on second place in League One with a first victory in five meetings with Huddersfield tomorrow.
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Town have dominated recent derbies between the sides, are unbeaten in 10 league matches and Lee Clark's squad are one of several who could mount a serious challenge to United's bid for automatic promotion, a bid which has suffered amid a run of two wins from nine league games.
Grayson admitted this weekend's clash was a chance to weaken Huddersfield's pursuit of the top two, but he insisted the first of 14 remaining league matches held no more importance than the 13 which will follow.
Grayson said: "We know it's a big game geographically and because of where we both are in the league but you get no more points for beating Huddersfield than we did for beating Oldham on Tuesday night.
"You always need to make sure you're more focused on the game than the occasion. But we've got to see them as a threat because this time last year we still thought we could catch Peterborough and Leicester and get into the top two.
"In that respect it's important but we've got other big games coming up over the next few weeks and so have the other teams around us."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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