FOREST GREEN chairman Dale Vince has launched a robust denial to claims that he told Notts County £100,000 would be enough to secure the signature of captain Liam Noble.

A war of words has broken out after Notts County owner Alan Hardy stated Rovers have "repeatedly moved the goalposts" over the club's bid to sign Noble.

Hardy told the Nottingham Post: "The whole saga has been a shambles - you couldn't make it up. We feel we have been sold down the river all the way through. Goalposts have been repeatedly been moved.

“We always knew they wanted £100,000 and because that's what was intimated to us, we inched towards it until we offered the entire lot up front.

"They rejected it and the last correspondence we had from them was that we could double that figure and they still wouldn't sell him."

Vince responded to the claims, by saying: "We've watched with an increasing sense of bewilderment as Notts County have released a series of press statements about their interest in our player. It's one thing to engage in such megaphone diplomacy, and quite another to put false stories in the press.”

Vince confirmed his club have received numerous bids for his midfield lynchpin.

He added: “We have received a series of bids for Liam, the first we considered to be a joke. Their latest 'final' bid we received was not for £100k as their owner claimed in the press yesterday. Equally, the claim made yesterday about us suggesting they could double that amount and still not get him is also false.

“We've been very clear from the outset that we did not want to sell Liam and the antics of Notts County since then have only firmed up that position. Liam Noble was captain of our play-off winning side and is not for sale.”

Vince also claims the Magpies have breached FA rules by allegedly tapping-up their player.

He said: “We want Notts County to stop what they are doing, including the behind-the-scenes contact with the player, which we consider to be a breach of FA rules. Forest Green Rovers may be the newest and smallest member of the Football League family, but we know how to conduct ourselves and how to undertake a transfer negotiation the right way - quietly and respectfully club to club."