Marcus Maddison and Jack Marriott.

And Posh director of football Barry Fry, the man responsible for the club’s transfer negotations, insists it would take a ‘massive’ offer to persuade chairman Darragh MacAnthony to lose either of his prize assets. Fry described Maddison today (December 29) as ‘irreplaceable’.

Leeds United were this morning linked with both players.

Fry is also confident a new Posh player with ‘good League One experience and form’ will arrive at the ABAX Stadium early in the January transfer window. Posh are chasing a second new Posh player whose arrival might depend on Fry managing to sell unwanted striker Ricky Miller.

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Ricky Miller.

Miller, a free agent signing last summer on a three-year contract, has rejected potential moves to two League Two clubs and a League One club because of an unwillingess to move to the north of the country. Fry is currently negotiating with another, more southern-based, League Two club.

Fry said: “Interest in Maddison and Marriott is inevitable. We’re prepared for it, but we don’t have to sell them. Obviously if we get bids of £10 million for them it’s a different story, but we have had nothing like that so far.

“We’ve had £2 million bids from Championship clubs, but that isn’t enough for us to even start talking. We don’t want to lose either of them. Maddison has nine goals and 23 assists this season which pretty much makes him irreplaceable.

“I’ve been asked by the chairman to make two incoming transfers happen. We’re after two players with good League One experience and form. One is pretty much done and that will be financed by some of our lesser players going back out on loan in January.

Ricky Miller.

“Ricky Miller leaving could help the other deal. We want a fee for him and so far three teams have agreed to pay what we want, but they are all based in the north and Ricky doesn’t want to move up there. There’s also a team based nearer to us interested, but we haven’t agree a fee with them yet.

“The stuff going on with Ricky off the field is affecting his transfer. The baggage is putting some teams off making a bid.”

Midfielder Callum Chettle’s move to National League side Fylde is set to be announced by Posh before January 1.

Jordan Nicholson and Matty Stevens are expected to go back out on loan when their current deals at Nuneaton and Kettering respectively expire next month.

Posh also haven’t given up hope of extending goalkeeper Jonathan Bond’s loan move from Reading beyond its current expiry date of January 3.