AFC Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley already has a replacement lined up to fill the void left by Michael Smith’s departure from Kingsmeadow.
Smith has been banging in the goals for fun at Wimbledon but his loan from Charlton Athletic is set to expire at the turn of the year.
Dons manager Ardley had been hoping to hang onto the 10-goal striker beyond January and had even pondered a permanent deal for the 22-year-old.
But his pursuit of the tall forward has been rebuffed by Addicks manager Chris Powell, who says he wants Smith to return to the Valley after January 1.
He will consult with Powell upon his return and the Charlton boss will determine his future, with Ardley waiting in the wings.
But the Dons boss already has a month-long loan deal for another striker in the pipeline, should an extension for Smith prove impossible.
“He’ll be going back after the Dagenham game,” Ardley said. “It was always going to be the case. I’ve spoken to Smudger and I’ve spoken to Chris and I’m well aware of how it’s all going. There will be a lot decided in that first initial week or 10 days when he goes back.
"He’s out of contract at the end of the season. I know Chris likes him and they’ll have a conversation. If he’s got a chance of being part of Charlton’s plans then good luck to him. If there’s not then I’d like to think Michael would like to come back here.
“We’ve got a couple of options. One is that there’s a lad that we like the look of and we’ve tracked a while. We could get him in on a month’s loan and we’d have nothing to lose by doing that while the [Smith] situation gets resolved. If there’s an overlap of a couple of weeks then so be it.
“The other option is we look and we say it gives other people an opportunity in the squad. We’ll assess it and we’ve already had conversations. Erik [Samuelson, chairman] knows what we’re looking at and me and Simon Bassey have had detailed conversations.
"We’ll see how it pans out.”
Wednesday’s trip to Dagenham & Redbridge will be Smith’s last game for AFC Wimbledon if no deal can be reached to extend his Kingsmeadow stay.
