Paurevic set for Russia return

HUDDERSFIELD Town midfielder Ivan Paurevic is set to return to FC Ufa.

The 6ft 5in Croatian was a £200,000 close-season signing from the Russian top-flight club.

But he has failed to make any real impact on the Championship scene.

Now Paurevic - whose two Town appearances were from the bench in the first two games of the campaign, one of them the League Cup firstround defeat at Shrewsbury Town has been given permission talk to Ufa, who have a training camp in Cyprus.

No deal has yet been struck for the 25-year-old, who is contracted to Town until 2019.

But it seems likely he will leave, possibly in a permanent deal.

Paurevic, a former Croatian Under 21 international, played under Town head coach David Wagner in the second-team set-up at Borussia Dortmund, having started out at Rot-Weiss Essen.

He had a spell at Fortuna Dusseldorf before joining Ufa in the summer of 2014.

Ufa are eighth in the 16-team Russian Premier League, which is currently on a winter break.

Paurevic was one of 13 close-season signings by Town and the only one who has fallen short.

Aaron Mooy and Jonathan Hogg have been the most regular takers of the two midfield slots.

And Wagner has picked Dean Whitehead and Philip BIlling ahead of Paurevic.

Meanwhile, Town stand to cash in if former keeper Alex Smithies leaves QPR.

The club have a sell-on clause on the academy product who moved to West London in a near £2m move in August 2015.

Aston Villa’s former Town boss Steve Bruce is reportedly keen on Smithies, and could splash £4m on the 26-year-old, although he has already brought in Sam Johnstone on loan from Manchester United.

Town would benefit from any profit made by QPR, although the exact percentage remains confidential.

Smithies has totted up 44 appearances for the Loftus Road club, having played 274 times for Town.

He was the hero of the League One play-off final win over Sheffield United at Wembley in 2012.