William Barbosa is closing in on a move to Tarxien Rainbows in the BOV Premier League.

The Brazilian midfielder has set his sights on a return to the top flight after a short spell with Division One side St Andrew’s and Tarxien have emerged as favourites to land his signature.

Barbosa had joined St Andrew’s as player-coach in May but the two parties agreed to go their separate ways in October.

The 35-year-old reached an agreement with St Andrew’s yesterday evening over the terms of his release as Barbosa is still under contract with the Division One club.

Sources have told Times of Malta that Barbosa is in advanced talks with Tarxien who are looking to strengthen their squad to boost their fight against relegation.

After announcing his intentions of leaving St Andrew’s during this month’s transfer window, Barbosa was linked with a move to Balzan and a reunion with Jesmond Zerafa, the former Valletta coach.

However, this failed to materialise as Balzan opted to sign three other foreign players.

Barbosa was also on Qormi’s radar but Tarxien seem to have won the race for his services.

On their part, St Andrew’s are expected to appoint Danilo Doncic as their new coach after parting ways with Pino Murgia.

Elsewhere, Qormi, who drew 0-0 with Rabat Ajax on Karel Zeman’s debut as coach last week, have appointed Italian Domenico Roma as their new sporting director.