BRISTOL Rovers boss Joey Barton has put a £5million price tag on Aaron Collins after pointing to a sale of another former Newport County AFC player.

The 25-year-old had a remarkable 2022 and picked up where he left off to start the new year in style.

Collins opened the scoring in the 25th minute against Cheltenham and then set up Rovers’ second for strike partner Josh Coburn just before half-time in the 2-1 victory.

Collins’ goal was his 13th in the league this season, leaving him joint top of the division’s scoring charts.

That led to Barton being quizzed on whether he will able to keep hold of the forward during the January transfer window, and he quickly pointed to the move of Exiles loan star Scott Twine from MK Dons to Burnley.

“We want teams tapping at the door, it’s a sign of progression,” said Barton. “We’ve got contractual security.

“Aaron’s happy and I don’t think he wants to move in January. Good players don’t usually move in January.

“If Scott Twine moved for £5m from MK Dons last year then we’d be talking about the same sort of figures.

“He’s [Collins] a talisman for our team. He’ll improve and get to the Championship with us or he’ll join a team there.

“We’re lucky because he never misses a day’s training, doesn’t take penalties, and will pass to a player in a better position…”

Collins has been spoken about as a Wales contender after finding his feet in Bristol after a slow start following his move from Forest Green Rovers, scoring 18 goals to help the Gas win promotion to the third tier.

He came through the ranks at County, making his EFL debut in 2015, before earning a move to Wolves. He returned to Rodney Parade for a spell on loan in 2018.