Clarke-Harris could continue to fire the Gas

PETERBOROUGH United director of football Barry Fry is predicting a flurry of bids for League One leading goalscorer Jonson ClarkeHarris this summer, setting the former Bristol Rovers striker’s valuation at at least £5million, writes James Piercy.

As first reported by Bristol Live, Fry has confirmed interest from Championship promotion-challengers Bournemouth, who need to replace Josh King this summer, and Premier League relegation strugglers Sheffield United. The Blades, whose Under-23 coach is former Gas manager Graham Coughlan, had a scout at London Road on Saturday as Clarke-Harris struck a hat-trick against Accrington to take his league tally to 27 for the season.

Also in the stands was a representative from Rangers who are likely to be in the market for a striker this summer with Alfredo Morelos potentially on the move.

This is all of interest to Rovers because when they negotiated Clarke-Harris’ sale to Posh last August for £1.25m, as well as various add-ons for goals and promotions, they also inserted a 20% sell-on clause.

Which is why as the number of potential suitors grows for the 27-year-old so does Rovers’ chances of earning a significant summer windfall, taking the Clarke-Harris fee above £2m.

Fry has revealed he turned down a bid from Bournemouth in January and claimed Posh can get “five times what they paid for” Clarke-Harris which effectively starts the bidding at £5m.

“There were several Championship clubs chasing Jonson in January and Bournemouth were the most persistent,” Fry told the Peterborough Telegraph. “We had several offers for the player, but we turned them down flat, even though we could probably get five times what we paid for him.

“We want promotion this season so there’s no way we would have let him go.”