Micky Mellon revealed Nicky Clark is set to extend his deal with Dundee United in the face of interest from Dundee.
The Dens Park club signed United attacker Paul McMullan on a pre-contract and are reportedly interested in also taking the 29-year-old striker who joined the Terrors in 2018 and helped bring them up to the Scottish Premiership.
However, boss Mellon said: "We have been in talks for a few weeks now, probably at the advanced stage, where we are sort of crossing the t's and dotting the i's.
"So we expect to have some news on that in the next 24 hours and we have another good player to commit to us for the next couple of seasons.
"I have spoken about how Dundee United is new to this level as a team, not as a club, and Nicky Clark is a great example of that because he has never played in the Scottish Premiership along with probably all of my players apart from three I think.
"I knew I was managing a transition and I knew we had to face tougher opposition, bigger opposition, and the players had to attack the development in order to become what Nicky Clark has become, a player who makes an impact in the Scottish Premiership.
"Nicky is a great example of where Dundee United were at the start of the season and what they are becoming, so he can be pleased so far with what he has done. But me as a manager and the demands of the club, we will be pushing him, we want more and more.
"But he certainly has decided he wants to be here and this is a club he wants to develop at and he has the facilities and the management group to keep pushing him on."
Mellon insists it would be better if McMullan went down the road to Dens Park in the January transfer window as opposed to waiting until the summer.
He said: "The situation with Paul is a wee bit different.
"Paul got an offer from Dundee, perfectly within his rights, he thinks that is the best place for him – which is up to him – in his next challenge.
"We always ask the question, does it make Dundee United better with having Paul in and around the group or is he going to play that much part in things and we think not.
"So the best thing for Paul McMullan and Dundee and I hope it happens, I really do because I have no problem with Paul, is that he goes and starts playing his football with Dundee."
