Swindon boss Maurice Malpas has vowed to help Charlie Mulgrew achieve his Championship dream as he finally closes in on landing his second summer signing by making him an offer 'he can't refuse'.
Town and Wolves reached an agreement in principle over a price for the left-back yesterday, believed to be in the region of £150,000, and Malpas is confident the club's ambition will be enough to lure the 22-year-old to the County Ground.
The Robins boss will spend the next 48 hours in talks with Mulgrew and his agent to tie up personal terms and, with all parties confident of success, a medical is expected on Monday to unveil him officially in time for Wednesday's pre-season tour to Austria.
The Blues were rumoured to be chasing Mulgrew as well but, after agreeing a price for the defender, Malpas claimed Swindon were not competing with anyone for his signature.
He said: "I have got to persuade him that Swindon Town is a place for him to come. He will get good coaching and will get good grounding. We have got excellent facilities and really good coaches.
"I have got to show him he is far better coming here, playing every week and progressing as a player so he can get back to the Championship - whether it be with Swindon or if he gets transferred."
While Malpas remains confident Mulgrew will be a Town player come early next week, he urged caution among fans - insisting nothing was sorted yet.
"I can speak to Charlie now and we will get things thrashed out quickly," he said. "He is a good player. He will bring some height to the team and has good delivery at set pieces. (We know that!) He wants to be playing in the Championship and we want him to be playing in the Championship with Swindon. We have to persuade him that his pathway back to where he wants to be is best starting at Swindon. It is an opportunity to play at a settled club, where there is no debt, no turmoil. Everyone knows we are trying to get into the Championship and we hope to do that in the next couple of years.
If we are to compete in this league we have to buy at least one decent back four player, if Clarkey goes two, and Charlie was as good as here already. Three defeats in four months with him in the side? I'd rather see some dosh spent on a top class defender at this level than half a million on another forward.
Still, as Thurrock Blue put it, in Tilly and Brush we have faith, just please don't test it to the limit!