Championship play-off hopefuls Brentford have moved to make a key decision which could directly impact the future of striker Neal Maupay.

The Bees striker is a wanted man this summer, with Sheffield United and Aston Villa among those clubs interested in landing the Frenchman.

And Brentford manager Thomas Frank has today moved to withdraw Maupay from the squad which is due to take on Ukranian giants Dynamo Kiev this weekend, with the 22-year-old seemingly struggling to be in the right frame of mind with so much speculation over his future.

According to Sky Sports' live transfer blog, the Bees have made the move to remove Maupay from the spotlight while his future is resolved, although he is expected to return to training for the Griffin Park club in the coming week.

Maupay fired in an impressive 28 goals last season as he once again solidified his reputation as one of the finest striking talents outisde of the Premier League, and that form was always bound to lead to plenty of interest this summer from onlooking top flight teams.

The Bees' decision to remove Maupay from the firing line this weekend though only further intensifies the speculation over his future, and it's set to be an interesting few days ahead for both the club and player.

The Verdict

Maupay is looking more and more likely to move on, and this does nothing to squash any sort of notion he is on his way.

You get the impression Brentford are simply holding out for the most money they can get with so much interest, and for that, you can't really blame them.

Maupay has everything needed to make it in the Premier League, and while he'll be a loss for the Bees and the Championship in general, you can't stop players from moving to the Premier League with riches on offer these days.