SAINTS would potentially need to break their record transfer fee in order to sign Bristol City striker Nicky Maynard.

The club are one of a number of Championship sides to have enquired about the 24-year-old hotshot, who has already been the subject of a £3m bid from Leicester.

The Robins’ board dismissed that offer out of hand this week, with chairman Colin Sexstone insisting the player is not for sale.

Nottingham Forest have also asked about the highly-rated frontman, while West Ham are reportedly interested too.

Keep up to date with all the Saints transfer rumour gossip by checking the rumour round-up.

Maynard is out of contract next summer, but has been offered a new deal at Ashton Gate. As yet, though, that remains unsigned, and the club will now hold talks with the player late next week to determine whether he intends to stay with them beyond the coming season.

If he informs them that he does not, Sexstone has hinted they could be forced to cash in on him this summer, rather than allowing his contract to run down. However, it is understood City would still try to hold out for a sum in excess of £4m for their most valuable asset.

That would be a record fee for Saints, ten years after paying exactly £4m for then Derby midfielder Rory Delap.

That still stands as the biggest payment the club has ever made for a player.

And Saints are likely to be put off by the hefty price tag that Maynard would come with.

“We had the direct offer from one club, which we rejected, and informal enquiries from two other Championship clubs,” revealed Sexstone.

“Those clubs haven’t made us an offer, but there was one phone-call and one email asking would we be interested in letting him go and, if so, how much would we want?

“The answer to both was ‘no’ – but it means people are circling and I don’t expect this will be the end of it.”

Maynard joined Bristol City in July 2008 from Crewe, with the Robins paying £2.25m for him.He has made 103 appearances for the club, scoring 38 times.

A knee injury meant he missed the first six months of the last campaign, but still managed to chip in with six goals in 13 matches.

Sexstone added: “We don’t want to sell Nicky, we want to keep him.

“Nicky is still away on holiday, but when (the players) report back next week, the manager (Keith Millen) is going to chat to him.

“He has always indicated to us that he wants to stay, but if he indicates that he doesn’t want to stay, then that puts a different complexion on it.

“But we don’t want to sell him – and we certainly don’t want to sell him to a Championship club.”

• Saints are one of a host of clubs also said to be monitoring former youth team striker Lukas Jutkiewicz, who is currently with Coventry.