MK Dons are believed to be readying a major offer for Welsh striker Aaron Collins as they look to make a serious push for League One promotion next season.
Collins, 28, finished the 2024/25 campaign as Bolton’s leading scorer and won the club’s Player of the Year award. But despite his success in League One, the ambitious Dons—now managed by Paul Warne—are hopeful they can tempt him to drop a division.
Sources suggest Warne has admired Collins for some time, having previously attempted to bring him to Derby County in January. That move fell through due to financial constraints, but the former Rotherham United boss now sees Collins as the final piece of a newly assembled attacking puzzle that already includes Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
League Two Record
Bolton paid £750,000 to sign Collins from Bristol Rovers in January 2023, and it is thought any bid matching that fee could put the forward among the most expensive League Two signings of all time. Only Kasper Schmeichel’s £1.49 million move to Notts County in 2009 would eclipse it.
Despite the interest, there is no current indication that Bolton are looking to offload Collins. New manager Steven Schumacher is planning to remodel his attack, but the Welshman—who netted 12 times in League One last season—remains a prominent figure at the club.
Bolton’s approach to transfers has typically been pragmatic. They allowed Dion Charles to join Huddersfield Town for £700,000 up front plus promotion-based add-ons after quietly circulating a sale price. A similar stance could be taken with Collins should the Dons’ offer reach the club’s valuation.
The move would reunite MK Dons with former Bolton right-back Gethin Jones, who is also in talks with the club following the expiration of his contract at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. Jones made 188 appearances for Wanderers over five seasons and helped them earn promotion from League Two in 2021.
Warne is understood to be targeting experience and leadership this summer as the Dons seek to justify their early billing as promotion favourites. If successful in their pursuit of both Collins and Jones, it would mark a significant statement of intent ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Writer’s View
This would be a coup for MK Dons. Signing Aaron Collins—a proven League One forward still in his prime—would send shockwaves through the fourth tier and significantly bolster their push for promotion.
For Bolton, the decision may hinge on whether Schumacher sees Collins as central to his plans or if the fee on offer helps fund a broader rebuild. Either way, this is one to watch closely, and it underlines the Dons’ desire to return to League One at the first time of asking.
