Harley Mills told to use Harrison Burrows as an example as Peterborough United contract talks remain unresolved

The 19-year-old left-back is stull under contract at Posh but his current deal runs out next summer and the club are desperate to avoid a repeat of this year, which will see Ricky-Jade Jones, Kwame Poku and Hector Kyprianou walk away from the club after running down their contracts.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson has suggested that the club’s policy will be to look to move on players heading into the last year of their deals and unwilling to sign fresh terms.

Mills is highly thought of both at the club and across the pyramid after a breakout season in the second half of the 24/25 campaigned which peaked with a stunning performance and free-kick in the Vertu Trophy Final at Wembley.

Mills has been offered the same terms that fellow young full-back James Dornelly signed in last August but no agreement has been reached as of yet.

With negotiations continuing, Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has urged Mills and his family to use Harrison Burrows as an example. After signing a new contract on improved terms in 2021, Burrows went on to become League One Player of the Season in 2023/24 and has been named in both the League One and Championship season in the last two campaigns.

Speaking on his Hard Truth podcast, chairman Darragh MacAnthony appeared unwilling to compromise on his philosophy of offering contract to young players.

He said: “We are trying with Harley to sign him to a new deal and his dad is not being easy on that one.

"We want to make him and Rio our two full backs next season and I’d love a Harrison story for Harley and to see him break in and be one of the players of the season. He has it in him.

"If his dad runs down his contract, I just think it is the wrong move. We’d be going back to the Flynn Clarke days years ago, which didn’t work out.

“Dornelly and his family saw sense last year and signed a deal and he kicked on and had a good season and I want Harley to do the same and settle down.

“We want him to be the left-back of now for us, not the left-back of some Under-21 academy even though it might benefit us by making us seven figures.

“We want him to benefit us by being a star player in League One next season but I don’t want to overpay a 19-20 year old because it is fundamentally wrong for them to get money too quickly.

"Harrison is an example for his Harley and his dad. Harrison signed three contracts with us, starting on £300 a week and then by the time he left us, he was on £2-2.5k per week and he ended up on £14k when he moved.

“He won the best player in League One, he was in the Team of the Year and then in his first year in the Championship, he’s the best left back in the Championship and he’s in the Team of the Year again. He can now play in the Premier League.

“All of our young players are on contracts that pay more for the more they play. It’s right that they all earn it. You have to earn it.

“I certainly don’t want our younger academy-based players holding us to ransom because that’s wrong after we’ve given them the platform. We have made that clear to them.

“We have made that clear to everyone in our academy, if you and your families are going to play games with us, we are not playing that game. I only want players and families involved about careers, not money.”