St Mirren have brought in Middlesbrough goalkeeper Zach Hemming on a season-long loan deal - with last season's number one Trevor Carson looking set to make a shock exit from the club.
The Buddies travelled to Belfast for their pre-season training camp without Carson, who was a mainstay between the sticks last season.
The 35-year-old agreed a new deal with the Saints in March, extending his stay in Paisley by another year to the summer of 2025.
But with his future at the SMiSA Stadium increasingly uncertain, Stephen Robinson has moved to bring in another keeper in the form of Hemming.
The 23-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan at Kilmarnock, helping them win the Championship in 2021/22 before contributing to the Rugby Park side staying in the Premiership last time out.
Robinson told stmirren.com: "Zach is someone that we have been looking at for a while. We watched him at Kilmarnock and I know the goalkeeping coach at Middlesborough.
"We’ve had really good reports on Zach and we’ve seen him close hand so I’m very confident that he will come in and do well.
"He’s a young, enthusiastic goalkeeper and we’re delighted to have him in."
Hemming made 15 appearances in all competitions for Kilmarnock last season, with his last coming in a 3-0 defeat to Ross County in January.
Hemming said: "I’m delighted to be here. I remember seeing the team when I was at Kilmarnock and it seems very structured and everyone knows their role in the team.
"The manager knows how capable I am and what I can do so I just want to impress. I can’t wait to get going."
Dundee and Dundee United have both been credited in an interest in Carson, who has worked with Robinson at Motherwell and Morecambe before joining the Buddies.
A fee would need to be agreed should a move take place, given the highly-rated Northern Ireland international is such a key player that still has two years left to run on his contract with St Mirren.
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