Every public comment about a possible transfer can be used to shape negotiations, so it’s never a great look when two important figures at the same club appear to be on different pages.
Last week Peterborough director of football Barry Fry was talking about the possibility of selling their star striker Ivan Toney, but he sounded dismissive of any interest and The Glasgow Times quoted him in saying it would cost £15m to let him go.
The problem with that is The Birmingham Mail have looked at some quotes from Peterborough’s chairman today, and he hints that he could leave.
They claim that Celtic and West Brom are interested in him, while it’s also worth noting that he only has 12 months left on his contract – so he can leave for free next summer if he’s not sold now and no extension is agreed.
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They claim that the Chairman Darragh MacAnthony has warned fans that he could leave this summer, but it’s not the case that they need to sell him to survive financially.
The problem is that there’s already been a public comedown on their stance and although there’s no price tag mentioned at this point, it’s hard to see anyone paying close to that £15m that Barry Fry was talking about.
He’s spent a lot of time out on loan but has found consistency with The Posh, and 26 goals in 39 league appearances last season is a stat that looks impressive.
It’s not clear if Celtic actually need him, but when you consider that his contract is running down, his club missed out on promotion and they’ve publicly said he could go, then it’s likely that he could leave for a reasonable fee.
