ST JOHNSTONE are set to win the race to sign Queens Park goal machine Josh Fowler.
McDiarmid Park boss Simo Valakari has moved quickly to reinvest the money banked from the sale of Adama Sidibeh to Stockport in adding more firepower.
Fowler has bagged 19 goals in 25 games for the Spiders following his move back to Scottish football from Dubai.
The 24-year-old has risen through the ranks from junior football, scoring 49 times in 78 games for Beith before moving to the Middle East.
He spent time with Gulf United then Dubai City before coming back to the SPFL last summer.
Fowler’s goals alerted clubs at home and abroad, with French side Amiens among those to make bids.
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Saints’ Championship rivals Partick Thistle and Ross County were keen to land the hitman in this window while Premiership clubs had discussed pre-contracts, but Saints boss Valakari’s pitch to bring him to Perth in this window has won the day.
McDiarmid Park chiefs have agreed a fee with Queens Park and Fowler is now expected to undergo a medical at lunchtime before signing.
The hitman, second in the Championship scoring charts behind Saints’ Josh McPake, could even go straight into Valakari’s squad for tomorrow’s title clash with Partick Thistle if his clearance is processed in time.
Queens bosses were reluctant to sell but with Fowler’s contract up at the end of the season they faced losing him for nothing.
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They have received a further cash boost from being reinstated to the Scottish Cup following the failure of Stranraer’s appeal against expulsion for playing an ineligible player.
But Saints pushed to get the deal done and came up with a package which made it worthwhile parting with their top scorer.
Sidibeh clinched his six-figure move south on Tuesday.
He had made it clear he wanted to move on in this window and would be signing a pre-contract with the League One side to move there at the end of the season whether Saints get back to the Premiership or not.
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