Swindon Town are on the verge of selling Simon Cox after accepting a £2million bid from West Bromwich Albion for the striker.

Cox was at Swindon’s Wanborough base for the first day of pre-season training yesterday, but is expected to head to the Midlands imminently to start talking personal terms with the Championship big boys.

The 22-year-old’s tally of 32 goals ultimately saved Swindon from League One relegation last term, and Leicester City, Derby County and Wigan Athletic have all shown an interest.

Albion were also keen admirers of the former Reading man, sending four representatives on separate occasions to watch Cox last season, including then-manager Tony Mowbray and his assistant Mark Venus.

However with Mowbray moving on to Celtic the capture will not be completed until the Baggies have appointed a new boss and he gives the transfer the go-ahead.

Swindon chairman Andrew Fitton insists if the deal goes through some of the funds will be made available for boss Danny Wilson to further strengthen his squad.

“It is fair to say that we have given West Bromwich Albion permission to speak to the player,” Fitton told the Advertiser.

“I’m not prepared to be drawn on the fee, but it is not disappointing.

“I think West Brom is a good club. We always said that Simon could leave if it was the right deal for the both the club and the player, and I believe that is the case here.

“I’m not pre-empting the decisions he will make, but it’s important he went somewhere he would have the opportunity to be with a club who won’t struggle.

“By that I mean I think it will be better for his development to be at a high-end Championship club rather than a relegation-fighting Premier League team. From there I think he’ll go and make the next step up.”

It is understood the £2million deal will be structured over a number of months, with numerous add-ons related to Cox’s personal achievements as well as the team winning promotion back to the Premier League.

And it is a huge profit for Town on a player who was purchased for around £200,000 from Reading in January 2008 following a successful loan spell at the County Ground.

Boss Danny Wilson admitted: “I was delighted to see Coxy’s face this morning - that was like a breath of fresh air for me. Whether or not we can keep him is another matter.

“Maybe their chairman has had the go-ahead (from the new manager) to do what he’s done, so Coxy is in place by the time he gets in. Who knows?

“It’s not really my problem, but that shows their intent. He’s not buying an unknown, he’s buying a very good player and it’s not much of a gamble for West Brom.”