Dunfermline agree to sell Skerla

Dunfermline Athletic have accepted a £210,000 bid from Russian club Rubin Kazan for Andrius Skerla.
The Lithuania central defender, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven in 2000, is keen to return to eastern Europe following a family bereavement.

Skerla said his public goodbyes in a half-time appearance during Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Motherwell.

Meanwhile, the Pars have offered a pre-contract to Slovakia midfielder Miroslav Barcik.

Barcik, with MSK Zilina and a free agent in the summer, impressed on trial during January, but his present club rejected a transfer bid at that time.

Dunfermline rejected an initial bid from Kazan on Monday, but a higher offer followed.

Manager David Hay explained: "There has been an offer for Andrius from another team, which has been accepted by the club, and we'll need to see what happens."

Pars chairman John Yorkston said he was sympathetic to Skerla's desire to move.

"We have been told that his father-in-law died a couple of months ago and that his wife wants to be closer to her mother," he said.

"I had never heard of the club, but we have checked them out and they are in the Russian top division.

"It would be a lot easier for him to get to Lithuania from there and he already goes back a lot, including for games with the national side.

Midfielder Gary Dempsey left the Scottish Premier League club last week after his contract was terminated by mutual consent, so the loss of Skerla would leave manager Hay's squad two players lighter.

But Yorkston did not believe the club was short of defensive options.

"We have Andy Tod and Scott Wilson and Greg Shields is coming back from injury," he said.

"Scott Thomson can play in that position and we also have Aaron Labonte, so we are not short of people in central defence."

Dempsey linked with a move to Aberdeen today, haven't seen enough of him to judge whether he would be a good signing for us.