SWINDON co-promoter Gary Patchett has insisted the Robins are under no obligation to buy Troy Batchelor despite parent club Peterborough insisting he is only available on a full transfer, writes ANDY WARREN.

The Elite League champions have been working all winter to try and bring the Australian and Dane Hans Andersen back to the Abbey Stadium, with the Panthers only willing to sell their assets rather than loan out the duo for a second successive year.

While the Robins have already submitted a second offer for Andersen after their first was turned down, no bid has been made for Batchelor, with Panthers co-owner Julie Mahoney claiming the BSPA have ruled he can only leave on a full transfer despite no longer being under consideration for a place at the Showground.

Patchett insisted that is not the case, but revealed the situation may change at the end of the season if a loan deal can be agreed for 2013, and that he has asked permission to begin talking to Batchelor.

“I have spoken to members of the BSPA management committee who have told me that whilst it might be Peterborough’s wish to transfer Troy, they clearly didn’t ever consider him for a place at Peterborough by the fact they announced Linus Sundstrom before the AGM. They can now only put one rider alongside him,” he said.

“They may want to sell him but that doesn’t put the onus on us to buy him, and we can’t be obliged to buy a rider that doesn’t feature in the parent club’s plans, and we won’t buy him.

“That isn’t saying we don’t want to buy him, just that at this current moment in time the club is not in a position to do so. That is something we could agree with Peterborough to review at the end of the season without obligation on either side, but we will not pursue it at the moment.

“They have very publicly discounted him from their own side, and I have now asked for Peterborough’s permission as well as the BSPA’s permission to enter negotiations with Troy regarding a contract for next year.

“That permission can’t be denied, and the reason I have asked for it is that nobody can hold anything against us in the future, and I have asked for permission to begin negotiations about bringing Troy here on loan.”

Batchelor made a storming start to the Australian Championship with victory at Gillman on Saturday, and returns to action on Wednesday in Undera with a two-point lead over Jason Doyle going into round two.