Roddy Collins, the new coach of Floriana FC, is vying with St Patrick's counterpart Jeff Kenna for the signature of Declan O'Brien.
The Irish Independent reported yesterday that O'Brien had been on the verge of signing for St Patrick's before Collins made a late pitch to convince the former Drogheda United striker to join him at Floriana.
St Patrick's had high hopes of tying up a deal for O'Brien, 30, in time for tomorrow's Europa League match against Valletta but Collins's approach appears to have complicated matters for St Pats.
According to the Irish Independent, O'Brien was expected to decide whether to press on with his proposed move to St Patrick's or accept Collins's proposal to join Floriana, Valletta's fiercest rivals in Maltese football.