'Coming days' - Charlton Athletic to beat Bristol Rovers and Barnsley to 'fantastic' talent

Charlton Athletic are poised to beat League One rivals Bristol Rovers and Blackpool to bring promising Dunfermline defender Josh Edwards to The Valley in a significant coup for the London outfit.

The South London Press reports that the Addicks hope to have tied up a deal for the 23-year-old 'in the coming days' with negotiations currently focused on a serious Addicks bid, believed to be just short of the £1 million price tag rumoured to have been placed on the defender.

Edwards has one year left on his contract with the Scottish Championship club and has been linked with a move to Barnsley in recent weeks, as well as other League One clubs. The versatile defender is primarily a left-back but can also play on the wing, as well as in central defence.

Beating rivals in the third tier to land the star would be a sign of intent from Charlton Athletic, with manager Nathan Jones overseeing his first transfer window at the club. The Welshman was appointed with the managerial title, rather than head coach, to allow him a greater say in the club's transfer dealings.

Dunfermline rejected a bid from Barnsley in January but promised Edwards that they would green-light a move when the time was right. The defender joined the Fifers in 2019 from Airdrie and is a key part of the side.

In February, Dunfermline boss James McPake said: “A bid was knocked back from the club, but that was a worry right up until [the transfer deadline] last Thursday. We know how important he is and the club were great with that; David [Cook, CEO], the board. It was quite a simple decision for them.

“Obviously, if a daft bid comes in then of course it gets looked at – but by daft I mean a high bid. For what Josh is worth to us and what he can do, the club knocked that back. It shows real intent from them as well.

“Keeping Josh was very important, for what he does in the team. He could get injured, that’s just the way football is, but a player of his profile is really hard to find. And the way he plays that left-wing/left wing-back role, I don’t see many like that out there.

“It was very important we kept him. He’s performing at a really high level. I’ve said to him, the moves will come for him. If he keeps doing what he’s doing for us, he’ll go and have a fantastic career because he’s doing everything right."