Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has revealed that Marcus Maddison's demands during transfer talks with Charlton were "unreasonable", according to London News Online.
Maddison's nine goals and six assists this season for Peterborough made him a key target for the Addicks during January, who looked to strengthen their attacking ranks.
The South London club had a fee of £1.5 million including add-ons accepted early on in the window, but despite discussions between the parties taking place, a deal could not be reached.
Maddison eventually joined Hull City on a season-long loan on deadline day, reuniting with former Peterborough manager Grant McCann.
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Speaking to London News Online, MacAnthony has revealed that Maddison's high demands was the reason behind everything falling through.
"Matt [Southall] was quite sure they would get a deal done with Marcus but to no avail. Marcus wouldn’t go there unless a certain figure was hit," he said.
"I know what his target was and it was unreasonable, in my opinion for a player stepping up from League One," MacAnthony added.
It is also reported that along with the £1.5 million fee, Charlton wanted to do a deal with further payments of £500,000 if the attacker went on to play 50 games for the club, and promotion to the Premier League was achieved.
The Posh Chairman also opened up on his meeting with Matt Southall, revealing that the Addicks were also keen on Ivan Toney.
"I told him [Southall] to forget Ivan – there’s no way he’s going to Charlton. You can’t afford him. He wanted a figure and he threw figures around and I said no," MacAnthony added.
The Verdict
MacAnthony's admission that Maddison's demands were too high for Charlton comes as no surprise.
Initial talks between the clubs dragged on, which cast doubt over the transfer even being agreed. Charlton eventually opted for David Davis, Matt Smith and Aiden McGeady on deadline day.
With the transfer window now shut, the Addicks can focus on their football as the club hope to move away from the lower reaches of the Championship table.