Charlton’s £2.5m bid for Peterborough’s Marcus Maddison triggered the attacking midfielder’s release clause.

Maddison is coveted by a host of Championship clubs, but thus far, none have matched Posh’s asking price.

The news was released by Peterborough, probably in an attempt to start a bidding war amongst interested parties.

Maddison is 26-years-old, born in Durham and joined Peterborough from non-league Gateshead in‎ August 2014. Since then he has made 205 starts in all competitions for Posh,‎ plus another 34 appearances from the subs bench, scoring 62 goals.

He is a quality player, but there is a long way to go to get this deal over the line.

As well as competition from other Championship sides, Peterborough would like to keep the player at London Road.

Maddison met Lee Bowyer last week, and his agent was discussing personal terms with the Addicks on Monday. This bid, plus the speculation about a £2m bid for Birmingham defender Harlee Dean, gives a clear indication that ESI mean business in the transfer market.

The Maddison story broke on the same day that fresh rumours about Conor Gallagher being recalled by Chelsea and being rerouted to another Championship club – possibly Swansea – surfaced.