WILL SIRIKI STAY OR WILL HE GO?

Siriki Dembele’s immediate Posh future is again in doubt after Championship promotion contenders Bournemouth made two transfer window bids for the supremely talented 25 year-old attacking player.

Both bids – believed to be £1 million and then £1.5 million – were turned down by Posh who are believed to be holding out for a fee of more than £4 million for a player with just five months left on his contract.

Posh believe Dembele is more valuable to their fight to stay in the Championship so are prepared to let him leave for nothing in the summer rather than sell him on the cheap.

Bournemouth boss Scott Parker is a long-term admirer of Dembele dating back to his days as Fulham manager, so Posh are bracing themselves for further bids.

But they are adamant they won’t sell him unless they receive a ‘ridiculous’ offer and he won’t leave until a replacement has been signed.

The transfer window closes at midnight on Monday (January 31).

‘There is no way we will sell him on transfer deadline day,” Posh director of football Barry Fry said. “Because that would give us no time to sign a replacement.

“Siriki and his agent came to see me and the chairman last week and it’s clear he wants to leave. We spoke about his situation and the following day we got a bid from Bournemouth which we turned down instantly. They bid again the following day and we turned that down as well. They know what we want and they have so far got nowhere near that.

“We won’t sell him for less than our asking price as that would be self-defeating. He’s worth more to us than what they have bid because he could be the difference between us staying up or going down.

“Siriki can sign a pre-contract with whoever he likes on February 1, but he could also get his head down and show his best form us for the rest of this season.

“Bournemouth might be back again, but I will be glad when the transfer window shuts next week as it’s unsettling for players and speculation is doing us no good in our situation.”

Dembele wasn’t involved in Tuesday’s Championship draw at Birmingham City leading to speculation the move to Bournemouth was very much on, but Posh manager Darren Ferguson dismissed the rumours as ‘nonsense.’

“Siriki was injured,” Ferguson insisted. “He had treatment on Monday, but didn’t recover in time for Tuesday.

“He could be involved on Saturday. The rumours are nonsense.”

Fry also revealed Posh have had enquiries for forwards Jonson Clarke-Harris and Sammie Szmodics while ‘four Premier League clubs’ have been in touch about Ronnie Edwards. But no bids have been made.

Posh are still trying to bring at least two more players to the club before the transfer window shuts.

Posh chairman attacks •

‘cowardly’ players page 86

Siriki Dembele