JAMES Collins is the subject of transfer interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Advertiser understands.

The striker only arrived at the County Ground from Shrewsbury in the summer for a fee decided by tribunal to be £140,000 plus add-ons but his goalscoring exploits this season are believed to have attracted the attention of Wolves manager Dean Saunders.

The former Doncaster boss is understood to have been impressed by Collins’ hat-trick at Stoke and four-goal salvo against Portsmouth and, though no formal approach has yet been made, an offer could be forthcoming.

The Adver has also learnt that West Brom have been sending scouts to watch the 22-year-old, who was born and raised in the West Midlands, in action and the Premier League outfit are understood to be monitoring the situation.

Another Swindon Town striker currently coveted by other clubs is out-of-favour frontman Paul Benson. The 33-year-old watched Cheltenham’s 0-0 draw with Rochdale on Friday night as he mulled over a move to Whaddon Road and the Adver has learnt he is now happy to make the switch to the Robins.

The League Two side are understood to be willing to pay a large chunk of Benson’s wages to secure his services on loan until the rest of the season, and Town boss Paolo Di Canio is keen for the former Charlton man to make the move. A deal could be completed in the next couple of days.

Away from the transfer market and into the boardroom, the hunt for a new owner of the Robins continued over the weekend as the Swindon board held talks with those parties keen to take over at SN1.

One domestic consortium is still believed to be the front-runner in the process and due diligence is understood to be well under way, while an initial agreement could be announced this week.

Three other potential buyers, including two foreign parties, have held advanced discussions with Town but it appears the focus is now principally on the one consortium who are furthest along the line with their negotiations.

Finally, Swindon Town’s trip to MK Dons next month is likely to be rescheduled. The visit to stadium:mk on February 16 clashes with the fifth round of the FA Cup, which the Dons reached courtesy of a 4-2 victory at QPR on Saturday.