GRAVESEND’S on-off transfer saga with Welling’s James Smith looks to have reached a successful conclusion.

The deal looked to be dead in the water last week after Fleet and Welling failed to agree about a proposed sell-on fee for the 19-year-old defender.

But after some fierce negotiating between the clubs, Fleet have finally agreed to include a sell-on clause in the deal – although the percentage is lower than Welling initially wanted.

Details of the deal, expected to be finalised this week, have not been released but Smith is thought to have cost Fleet a down payment of £3,000 with an additional payment depending on appearances.

Fleet manager Liam Daish said: "We came to a compromise with Welling over the sell-on fee, so James Smith should be joining us soon.

"It’s great news for the club. He’s a player I’ve had my sights on for some time now, so it’s good to finally get him on board.

"He’s a young player who will be a great asset to the club and give us more strength in depth in defence."

Daish’s plans to team Smith up with former Gillingham defender Dean Beckwith look to have run aground. He had hoped that Kent-born Beckwith, released by Gills at the end of last season, would be tempted by a local club.

But he has had to accept defeat to Hereford, who look likely to sign Beckwith on the strength of having former Gills assistant manager Wayne Jones as their physio.

Despite the setback, Daish is still hoping to add several new faces before the start of the campaign.

He said: "We now have four full-time players on our books – James Smith, Danny Slatter, Charlie MacDonald and Scott Gooding – and we could have as many as seven or eight soon.

"There are plenty of players I’m looking at, it’s just a case of choosing the right ones. The players I’ve picked so far have all been young, hungry players who have wanted to go full-time."