SWINDON Robins' attempts to lure World Under-21 Champion Darcy Ward to Blunsdon appear to have stalled, with team boss Alun Rossiter insisting he will not take part in a “Dutch auction”.

SWINDON Robins' attempts to lure World Under-21 Champion Darcy Ward to Blunsdon appear to have stalled, with team boss Alun Rossiter insisting he will not take part in a “Dutch auction”.

Interest in the 17-year-old King's Lynn rider is high in post-season and Swindon are among several British clubs keen on recruiting the teenage hotshot, with Coventry and Peterborough also thought to be in the hunt.

Ward could prove a potent weapon in the Elite League if he were to move up a level, as he would be handed a low points average that he would almost certainly eclipse during the season.

And hopes of a move for the Aussie to the Abbey Stadium were raised recently when reports quoted Robins skipper Leigh Adams as saying that the teenager favoured a move to Wiltshire.

But Rossiter is currently not confident of convincing Ward to come to Swindon, and is uncomfortable with how his attempts to sign him have progressed so far.

“I've tried to talk to him a couple of times, but all I keep getting from him is, 'Put it on a bit of paper',” said Rossiter.

“That becomes a Dutch auction and I'm not going to do it, things don't work like that.

“You can't do a deal like that. You need to know what the lad wants, you need to sit down and talk to him.

“It's not a matter of putting figures onto paper and that's how it seems to be at the moment.”

It is not known whether King's Lynn are willing to sell Ward, but it is widely believed that the winter would be the ideal time to cash in if they did make the decision.

Rossiter added: “It's a wait and see. We don't know how far he's gone down the line with anybody else, but at the moment we're not even in the race.”

Meanwhile, Robins co-owner Gary Patchett has refused to rule out another sensational transfer swoop for Russian ace Emil Sayfutdinov.

Rumours are circulating around the speedway world that Swindon, who failed in an attempt to bring Sayfutdinov to Wiltshire before last season, have first option on the Grand Prix wonderkid should he ever race in England.

But Patchett is keen to point out that a switch is purely hypothetical at present, due to Sayfutdinov's other racing commitments.

“Never say never, I think that's all you can say,” revealed Patchett.

“Whilst he's riding in Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the GPs, England will only be attractive to him until the other leagues start to kick off.

“I can't imagine he'd want to come here and do a full season, unless we did fewer fixtures.”