Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has responded to the transfer speculation that Derby County are interested in signing attacking duo Ivan Toney and Marcus Maddison.

TEAMtalk reported earlier today that a number of Championship sides - including Derby, Middlesbrough, Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers - are interested in signing the duo, who have both made fantastic starts to the new season for the Posh.

Toney scored 23 goals in 55 appearances for Peterborough in all competitions last season and is currently the top scorer in League One with eight goals in nine league matches so far this term.

Maddison has also made an impressive start to the new campaign and has scored five goals and provided six assists in nine league appearances.

The report states that both players are valued at around £10million each, but that Peterborough are not prepared to sell either of their star players halfway through the season.

Peterborough chairman MacAnthony has now commented on the transfer talk on social media, responding to a message from a Derby fan on Twitter who asked if there is any truth to the reports. The Posh owner told the fan to ignore the speculation.

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Peterborough finished seventh in the League One table last season, one point outside the play-offs, and will be hoping to challenge for promotion again this term.

The Verdict

Maddison is a very talented footballer and he's capable of producing moments of individual brilliance that can change games, while Toney is a fantastic striker and has a very impressive goal record in the lower divisions.

Both players are more than capable of playing at a higher level, but I'd be very surprised to see Peterborough sell either of them halfway through a season, as they'll be absolutely vital to their promotion chances this term.

MacAnthony is usually pretty open and honest when it comes to responding to questions on Twitter and I wouldn't have expected him to say anything different when it comes to this speculation.