MK Dons manage Liam Manning has reassured his side's supporters that they can hold out for a high fee for star man Scott Twine, making this claim as he spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio.

The 22-year-old was a key figure for the Buckinghamshire outfit last term, recording 20 goals and 13 assists in 44 League One appearances as he proved to be integral in guiding Manning's side to a play-off finish.

However, their failure to win promotion back to the Championship has only gone on to increase speculation regarding the attacking midfielder's future, with Twine arguably doing more than enough during the 2021/22 campaign to earn a move to the second tier.

Hull City are thought to have made a £3m bid for his services - though that offer probably won't be enough to lure him away from his current side considering Burnley have bid £4m and the fact he has a long-term contract at Stadium MK.

His contract means the third-tier side could potentially wait for a bidding war to happen before they cash in on one of their prized assets and considering how prolific he was last season, it would be no surprise if he was sold on for a fee potentially more than double the reported £3m Shota Arveladze's side have offered, especially after Manning's comments.

This should force the Tigers out of the race - because they need to be more focused on improving their whole squad as opposed to just one area if they want to give themselves the best chance of getting to the Premier League.

Although an alternative for George Honeyman is needed, there are other areas that need to be addressed including their goalkeeping position, centre-back area, central midfield and the forward department.

They probably won't be able to win the race for Twine, keep Keane Lewis-Potter and improve their whole squad without breaching the EFL's financial rules in the coming years, especially if they recruit players of target Jean Michael Seri's calibre because they aren't likely to be earning a modest wage.

Instead, they need to be looking at cheaper deals, the free-agent market and the loan market as well, though they should be limiting their use of the latter if they want to give themselves the best chance of building for the long term.

They may have a bit of leeway to exploit in terms of loss limits because it isn't like the Allam family forked out on huge fees for players in recent years - but they shouldn't be complacent because the consequences of a breach would be serious - damaging their chances of reaching the top flight for the long term.

League rivals Reading are currently having to follow a very strict business plan and will continue to do so throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

This has provided them with an uphill battle in their quest to remain afloat in the division once again next term - and Hull owner Acun Ilicali will be desperate to continue building on the feel-good factor that currently surrounds the MKM Stadium.

Sustainability over marquee signings will help to keep that feeling for the long term, so they should be prepared to turn their attention away from a big-money signing in Twine.