MIKAEL Dyrestam’s move to Wanderers dramatically collapsed yesterday after the club refused to pay the amount of compensation to his former club IFK Gothenburg.

Dougie Freedman had been on the verge of solving his long search for a left-back after the 22-year-old impressed during a week of training at Euxton.

The defender was available on a free transfer but a “development fee” was owed to IFK, who he had represented for the last six years, which presented a stumbling block to the deal being completed.

Figures in the Swedish press claim the fee owed to Gothenburg was in the region of 400,000 Euros, or about £320,000.

Freedman had high hopes the Guinea-born youngster, capped twice by his country, would have been secured in time to feature against Blackburn Rovers next weekend.

He had scouted Dyrestam extensively since the summer, a few months before the player decided to leave the Swedish top flight to pursue a career in Europe, and had also built up relationships with staff at IFK to ensure Wanderers got first refusal if he decided to play in England.

But the Whites boss now finds himself back to square one after the tight financial circumstances he is operating under at the Reebok once again bit hard into his recruitment efforts.

Dyrestam was battling back from a serious knee injury and there had been some concern over his fitness when he arrived at the start of last week.

But sources at the club say he had impressed sufficiently for a contract to be discussed and his advisors were at Euxton on Thursday to discuss the defender’s future.

It leaves Wanderers still without a recognised left-back, a situation they have been in since Marc Tierney broke his leg back in October.

Tim Ream has plugged the gap since Christmas but Wanderers have sorely missed the American’s distribution skills in the middle of defence and he has struggled against out-and-out wingers.

Freedman hinted a couple of weeks ago, before Dyrestam’s arrival, that he did have defensive options currently playing in the Premier League which may be let out on loan in the coming weeks.