Smith for sale if the price is right, admits U’s boss amidst Dons speculation

Striker Sam Smith would be for sale at the right price, according to Cambridge United boss Mark Bonner after rumours of interest from MK Dons.

The 24-year-old scored a hatful of goals for the U’s last season, netting 21 times on the club’s return to the third tier.

His performances have alerted plenty to his services, with Dons named as one of the potential suitors for his services, though assistant head coach Chris Hogg said the linked were unknown to him last week.

Smith though continues to be linked with a move away from the Abbey Stadium, and though Bonner says his side do not need to sell

“I think the reality is there is always interest in our players, because we’ve got lots of good ones,” he said.

“We know the situation, we’ve had to deal with that every year of the last two, that our players have performed brilliantly.

“In that sense, you always get speculation around all of your players, whether that is on social media, written media, online or just by word of mouth.

“I think we are getting quite comfortable with the fact that we’ve got really good players that people are always talking about. That’s a great sign of the progress that we’ve made.

“Right now, there are no real specifics to talk about on any of the players, and unless something weird and wonderful comes up that is too good to turn down, we expect to start the season with the whole squad in tact.”

Bonner likened the situation with Smith to that of Harry Darling, who made the move to Dons in January 2021, adding: “If someone offers huge money for one of your players, the reality is yeah, maybe you’d move them on.

“We’ve seen it with Harry Darling last season, he moved on at a time when we were going really well, but that’s been a brilliant transfer for our club, and will continue to be in the future.”