Kilmarnock in talks to sign Lafferty

Kilmarnock are in advanced talks to sign Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty on a free transfer.

The Northern Ireland forward was previously in talks with Liga I side Sepsi after leaving Serie B side Reggina in January, but a move to Romania failed to materialise.

Kilmarnock play Lafferty’s former club Rangers on Saturday, where he made 123 appearances across two spells.

Fellow Northern Irishman and Kille boss Tommy Wright is keen to add more firepower to his team, with his side scoring just 26 goals in 28 games this season.

Kilmarnock would be Lafferty’s third Scottish club, after spells at Hearts and Rangers, where he won three Scottish Premiership titles.

SNS Tommy Wright 0:49
New Kilmarnock manager Tommy Wright says he has the backing of the board should he want to add any out of contract players to his squad

He has also plied his trade in Switzerland with Sion, Norway with Sarpsborg 08, and Italy with Palermo and, most recently, Reggina.

But he now looks set to return to Scotland, in a bid to get some regular game time under his belt ahead of Northern Ireland’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Bulgaria.

After his first game in charge of Kilmarnock – a 1-0 defeat to Motherwell – boss Wright said: “Most certainly I’m encouraged. I have been encouraged since I came in with the quality in the squad.

“We will work with them. We know the areas we have to improve and they just have to persevere with it.”

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