A NEW contract extension for Swindon Town defender Raphael Rossi Branco is on the verge of being completed, the Swindon Advertiser understands.

Reports this morning claimed Branco, 24, was poised to agree a further two-year stay, taking him up to 2017, and the Advertiser understands that the deal is on the verge of being rubber-stamped, possibly even as early as today.

Branco was seemingly involved in a stand-off with the club earlier this week, with chairman Lee Power claiming the Brazilian may have played his last game for the club after apparently going back on a verbal agreement to sign a new deal while Branco was understood to be settled in Swindon, but unhappy at some of the terms of the deal as well as the club's refusal to play him until the agreement had been signed.

When asked this morning Town boss Mark Cooper was unable to confirm whether Branco would be finalising a new deal imminently. Though he did reaffirm that until the defender does he will continue to be unavailable, however if he does commit then the club’s transfer priorities in January will be adjusted.

“It’s as we were until (Branco has) signed, as of this moment I’m not aware he’s signed a contract,” said the Town boss.

“If he were to sign that takes care of the central defensive role.”

Branco will continue to train with the first team squad but will be preparing the first XI rather than working on being part of it.

“He trains normally like everybody else, he’s a professional like everybody else,” added Cooper.

“From (Thursday) onwards we concentrate on the team that’s going to play on Saturday and we work on them and use the other players to try and work against that team.

Branco has has not featured since the win over Peterborough last month, but his imminent availability would be a boost for boss Mark Cooper, with the squad set to lose Massimo Luongo and Yaser Kasim to the Asian Cup shortly after Christmas.

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