Mark Stimson's search for a striker moved a step closer as he was due to hold talks with an unidentified player today (Friday).

The Gillingham manager met the player for preliminary discussions on Monday and, after thrashing out terms on a deal with chairman Paul Scally on Thursday, he was ready to put a contract on the table.

The Gills manager knows he faces a battle, however, with higher division clubs after his number one transfer target.

Stimson said: "We’ll put something across to him and then we’ll see how long it takes for him to think about it.

"He is very keen and there were good signs but he’s also speaking to two League 1 clubs this week. We’re facing competition and that’s not surprising because the player we are after is decent."