Birkirkara are expected to make a bold move to try and lure back to the fold international defender Luke Dimech.

It is an open secret that the Stripes have made contact with the Mansfield Town defender, who seems to be out of favour at the moment.

Club chairman Victor Zammit is an admirer of the player who had been on the Stripes books two years ago.

Zammit confirmed that negotiations were ongoing but there was no agreement yet on personal terms.

The player is also understood to have been offered a contract by England’s Kidderminster, but he wants an improvement on their offer to be able to join them.

If Dimech agrees to join Birkirkara, the Stripes will release Romanian defender Lucian Dronca whose destination seems to be Gozo. In fact, yesterday there was confirmation that Victoria Hotspurs were truly interested in acquiring his services, at least till the end of the season.

Anyway, Dronca will become surplus to requirements if, as expected, the Stripes will sign Serbian goalkeeper Ninos Grlic who should arrive in Malta today.

He is to figure in a trial against visiting Dutch side Willem II Tilburg on Friday at the Hibs Ground and would be expected to sign for the Stripes soon after thus replacing Lucian Dronca as the club’s third foreigner.