Swindon Town have missed out on their pursuit to sign last season’s Player of the Season Dan Kemp on a permanent basis, The Adver understands.

Speculation had been rife of a potential return for the loan sensation after he lit up the County Ground during the first half of last season, but after struggling to make the same impact at parent club Milton Keynes Dons during the second half of last season, he was released following the expiry of his contract.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, who preferred to stay anonymous to protect relationships, Swindon made a significant offer to Kemp to try and bring him back to Swindon, with the 25-year-old being made a priority during this window.

However, despite these attempts to persuade Kemp to return, the player has his heart set on a move to League One, with multiple clubs at that level having made offers, therefore Town have moved on to other targets with the deal seeming increasingly unlikely.

The Adver understands that Swindon are close to confirming multiple other signings, with it expected to be a busy week of incomings at the County Ground despite missing out on last season’s Swindon Advertiser Player of the Season.

Kemp netted 16 goals and got eight assists in 27 appearances across all competitions on loan at Swindon last season as he proved himself to be one of the best players at the level, following on from a strong showing on loan at Hartlepool United the previous campaign.

But as new head coach Mark Kennedy said during his introductory press conference, Swindon preferred not to wait around for a deal that seemed improbable and would rather move on to their other targets and ensure a strong squad was in place for the start of pre-season.

Kennedy said: “I think that the most important thing is getting the right people, first and foremost as people and then as footballers.

“I am not particularly someone that would want to wait for an A-star player that you would never get, I would rather get a B-plus player that I know I am going to work with.

“Unfortunately in recruitment, you might need a right-sided centre-back but not be able to get them in until later on, you might get your seven or 11 in quicker.

“It will take time to get players over the line, but I would like to get it done sooner rather than later.”