Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson hopes Ivan Toney's future is decided soon as he admits he can't sign any new players until the striker is moved on.

Toney has been at the centre of bids from Celtic and Brentford in recent times as we exclusively revealed last week.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony and director of football Barry Fry have both outlined plans to sell their star man but have warned they would not be taken advantage of on any fee. Celts had a bid of around £4million rising to more than £6million booted out by the club.

Now, though, the manager has told how he wants the 'distraction' to be over and says he is unlikely to play Toney in any upcoming games - unless he is not sold by the beginning of the new League One season. "We will have to wait and see with Ivan and it could be a distraction if his situation rumbles on," he said. "That wouldn’t be ideal.

"It would be better if things were resolved quickly, but the owners quite rightly won’t sell him unless they get the right price so it could be we end up with the best striker in League One playing for us at the start of the season so I’m quite relaxed about it.

"Ivan won’t play in the first friendlies, but if he is still here as the new season approaches I will have to play him. I can’t sign anyone until he leaves which again is not ideal as I would want as much time as possible with the player we bring in to replace him."

Ferguson also has contingency plans in place should Toney leave. It’s still early days," he told Peterborough Today. "The transfer window has only just opened and the Championship season hasn’t yet finished, but I will seek maybe one or two central midfielders as well as a new striker if Ivan has gone.

“Our recruitment last season was done with this season in mind no matter what division we were playing in so 90% of the squad I want is already here.

“I believe we will be one of the most stable clubs in League One next season and we will certainly be stable financially with the right price for Ivan.”