Would-be chairman Jim Little has blamed the breakdown of takeover talks at swindon Town hinged on an 11th-hour amendment to the original contract, which would have netted the Wills family £8 million over five years.

Town officials have denied the clause was ever signed off by them, and claim it was an idea put forward by BEST themselves/.

But Little has fiercely hit back.

As said in Town's official statement yesterday the original contract of August 14 had no provision to make a payment of £8million to major shareholders the Wills family.

But the debate surrounds a later meeting where both parties claim the clause to give the Wills family £8 million was actually submitted by each other.

Town insist BEST offered the figure as a pay-off for any future development on a handwritten note and this was never agreed to by anyone at Swindon.

But BEST's figurehead Little has questioned why his consortium would suggest paying a substantial extra sum, insisting the new clause was actually submitted by Town at the end of September.

He said: "BEST Holdings has reviewed this information put forth by the club and can say that some of their statements are in direct contradiction to the latest terms of the contract.

"And the statements are in direct contradiction to the true statement that was published by the Swindon Advertiser last week.

"Swindon say the £8million clause was not included in the initial contract, it was not. But there was a variant that was put in.

"The other side submitted a new clause nine' in the last week of September asking for an additional £8million to be paid over roughly the next five years, in six monthly installments.

"They also requested 50/50 developments on any real estate of the club and we have that in writing with our attornies."

In yesterday's statement, the club revealed they signed three foreign players, the cost of whom BEST Holdings agreed to underwrite in good faith but Little insists the capture of Billy Paynter was also down to them.

He said: "BEST Holdings were involved with the signing of four Swindon Town players - Ibon Arrieta, Mauro Almeida, Franklin Anzite and Billy Paynter.

"Billy would not have come here had it not been for us.

"BEST Holdings has just learned of the club's decision to break down negotiations through the posting on their website.

"BEST will be issuing further statements pending legal advice."

Town chief executive Martyn Starnes said: "The offers and counter-offers unfortunately I cannot comment at all on.

"While Jim Little has the hindsight of being involved in the negotiations, I don't and none of the directors do apart from James Wills and Mike Diamandis (Wills family advisor).

"In terms of the players, I considered Billy Paynter a joint decision to sign him.''