PARS captain Josh Falkingham has agreed a new contract, Press Sport understands.

The 23-year-old midfielder previously rejected a contract extension with Dunfermline and was given until today (Thursday) to accept the club’s final offer.

It was initially thought that Falkingham was unlikely to sign, but his agent Blair Morgan contacted the Pars’ board at the eleventh hour to say a deal had been agreed.

Club director Craig McWhirter told Press Sport, “The deal is 99 per cent agreed. I had a text message from his agent and it is looking very close.

“As far as we understand it is now just a matter of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts to get it through.” The club are keen to get their key players signed up for next season as quickly as possible and made a final pitch for the former Leeds trainee earlier this week.

Craig said, “We made a revised offer and we were very close to what his agent thought would be agreed, but it did not look like he was going to sign for a bit.

“The ball was in his court as far as negotiations were to go - if he knocked on the manager’s door and said that he wanted to stay then we’d have still looked at it.

“We want to get settled with the core of the side for next season and we kept the door open as long as we could.” Falkingham signed for the Pars in the summer of 2012 and was named captain of the side after the club slid into administration last year.

Earlier this week, Pars boss Jim Jefferies said there were still meetings to be held regarding the skipper’s, and teammate Calum Morris’, future.

A deal is understood to still be on the table for central defender Morris, who was named the club’s player of the season last year, but his future presently remains in the balance.

McWhirter added, “The manager has said Josh has been training well and has a positive attitude, so there is nothing wrong there.

“We need to focus on players who want to be here.” The Pars return to East End Park for the first time in a month to face Ayr United, on Saturday.