Oxford United are chasing Cheltenham Town's leading scorer Julian Alsop.

The 6ft 5in striker is the second giant the team have been looking at as a transfer target, following their talks this month with 6ft 5in midfielder Derek Townsley.

Alsop is out of contract at Whaddon Road where he finished as Town's leading scorer last season with 12 goals in 37 appearances, including ten in the league.

The previous year, he and Tony Naylor struck 44 goals between them to help Cheltenham gain promotion, via the play-offs, from the third division. Alsop got 26 that season and Naylor 18.

Nuneaton-born Alsop has been told he can look for another club after voicing his disappointment - in the same way that some players did at Oxford - that a month before the end of the season nobody at the club had approached him about discussing a new contract.

His comments reportedly got him into trouble at Cheltenham, although the club did not go to the lengths of banning the journalist who reported them!

Indeed, the Robins say Alsop can still have a future at Whaddon Road if he cannot find anyone else to take him.

The 30-year-old former Bristol Rovers and Swansea striker's availability has interested U's boss Ian Atkins and it's believed discussions with Oxford have already taken place.

United chairman Firoz Kassam told the Gloucestershire Echo: "We are speaking, but that's not to say we are about to sign him."

Atkins may be looking at Alsop as a more experienced and technically better big man up front to replace Jefferson Louis, who has been made available for transfer, with Andy Scott and Lee Steele on either side.