Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAntony has revealed that he expects bids to come in for Siriki Dembele before the transfer window closes and he is relaxed about his potential departure.

Dembele has been in strong form for Peterborough at the start of the new Championship season and he has proven that he is able to make the step up to the English second tier.

That comes with the 24-year-old having managed to register goals in the wins against both Derby County and Cardiff City in his first two appearances this term.

It has previously been reported this summer that the likes of Fulham, Stoke City and Bournemouth are all potentially interested in making a move for Dembele before the window comes to a close.

However, it was believed that the three clubs were at that stage not willing to meet the sort of transfer fee that Peterborough were hoping to get for the attacker.

Speaking to the Hard Truth Podcast, via Peterborough Today, MacAntony revealed that he is relaxed about Dembele making a move away from the club before the window closes and that he is expecting interest in him to be firmed up.

He said: “I’ve promised Siriki if we get an acceptable offer he can leave. It’s a shame he doesn’t have longer left on his contract as we cold get £10 million to £12 million for him, but he’s not at the stage where he wants to sign a new deal.

“I expect bids to come in for him and if he leaves I am very relaxed about it. We planned for him leaving and it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

The verdict

These comments will have provided a lot of hope to the likes of Fulham, Stoke and Bournemouth that they can indeed make a successful move for Dembele before the transfer window closes.

Given how impressive the 24-year-old has been in his first two Championship appearances this season, you would suggest that he would be an excellent potential addition to the squads of all three of those clubs, but maybe especially Bournemouth after they have lost Arnaut Danjuma.

Peterborough are a selling club that they are prepared to cash in on key assets if they can get the right sort of price for them. They then look to reinvest that money into other potential stars of the future and therefore these comments from MacAntony should not come as too much of a surprise to anyone.

However, Dembele has just been instrumental to the two wins that Peterborough have managed to pick up and therefore allowing him to leave at this stage would be something of a gamble in terms of how it might impact their form on the field.