ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman has agreed a deal to sign a centre back on loan when the club’s transfer embargo is finally lifted in the next few days – but a second embargo could complicate his attempts to bring in a goalkeeper.

Coleman has been unable to make signings for some time because of an embargo related to the club’s debts but may be able to move back into the transfer market after arranging to bring in a central defender on a short-term basis.

The Reds avoided a winding up order earlier this month when they paid off a £308,000 tax bill but are still barred from registering any new players until they repay further debts of around £80,000 to HM Revenue and Customs.

Those debts were accrued in the midst of Stanley’s recent financial crisis, leaving them more than a month behind on this year’s employee-related tax payments – a state of affairs that automatically invokes a transfer embargo under new Football League rules introduced during the summer.

The embargo prevented Stanley from bringing in a goalkeeper on loan when Alan Martin’s recall by Leeds United at the end of last month left them with only one senior keeper, Ian Dunbavin.

It seems, though, that multi-millionaire Ilyas Khan, who saved the club from extinction with a donation of £160,000 and has continued to invest money since then in his new role as non-executive chairman, may be willing to help pay off the debts to HMRC to lift the transfer embargo this week.

That would take Khan’s total investment beyond £300,000 and give Coleman the chance to add to his squad, with a defender seemingly the priority.

“We’ve got a centre half lined up to hopefully sign today,” said Coleman, although it is understood he may have to wait a day or two longer until the embargo is lifted – meaning the signing is not certain to arrive in time for tomorrow’s home game against Macclesfield.

“And if we do a little bit of movement in the right way we can maybe bring a keeper in as well,” he added. “They’re our two priorities at the moment.”

Coleman’s hopes of bringing in a second signing, however, would be complicated by a second transfer embargo that currently restricts his squad to 20 senior players.

That embargo is a much more long-standing restriction, which came into force during the summer when the club accepted a loan from the PFA to help pay their players’ wages.

Stanley currently have only 19 senior players following Martin’s departure but the addition of a defender would take them to their limit of 20.

The Reds would need to repay £55,000 to the PFA before the second embargo is lifted, and if that is not possible immediately a senior player would need to be released to allow a goalkeeper to join on loan.

Former loan keeper Darren Randolph, now at Charlton, has been among those to be linked with a temporary move.

And Coleman’s bid to bring in players is made more urgent by Thursday’s Football League loan deadline. After that date, the only signings he will be able to make before the January transfer window will be free agents.

Louis Melo, Ross Lloyd and Julien Sourice have been on trial at Stanley for some time, while unattached striker Craig Lindfield remains a possible target.