Potential suitors have been warned that Southend will not allow striker Freddy Eastwood to leave Roots Hall on the cheap. Eastwood is certain to leave the League One side this summer - with Wolves the favourites to beat Norwich to his signature.

Potential suitors have been warned that Southend will not allow striker Freddy Eastwood to leave Roots Hall on the cheap.

Eastwood is certain to leave the League One side this summer - with Wolves the favourites to beat Norwich to his signature.

But Southend manager Steve Tilson says they will have to dig deep to land the 23-year-old.

Wolves have had one bid, believed to be £1million, rejected for Eastwood, although reports over the weekend claimed Eastwood was on the verge of moving to Molineux for an improved offer of £1.5million.

But Tilson insisted the man who has hit 65 goals in three seasons would not be going on a cut-price deal.

“It's all hollow speculation at the moment,” he said. “Wolves have so far only made one low offer and that was immediately rejected.

“The chairman doesn't want to sell Freddy and an offer of £1.5million is well below the market value for such a proven goalscorer.

“For the time being he is a Southend player and that is fine with all of us.”

However, it seems time is running out for Southend, with Eastwood making his position clear.

“I think it is time for me to move on,” he said. “It has nothing to do with money, it's just that I am an ambitious person and I want to play as high as I can.

“I've had three really good years but having had a taste of the Championship, it's where I want to stay. I'm an ambitious person and my dream is to play in the Premiership. League One is a long way from there and that's why I want go.

“I know Wolves have had a bid for me turned down but I would be interested in going there. I think they will go up next season so it would be a good move for me. They are a really big club and it would be nice to team up with former Southend team-mate Michael Kightly again.”

Eastwood has just one year left on his contract and Southend, who turned down a bid from Derby for his services last summer, could lose him for nothing in 12 months.

“It's disappointing that I couldn't go (to Derby) because if I had I would be a Premiership player now,” he said. “All this kind of thing is out of my hands though really. It depends on what the clubs do, but I think Wolves will come back in with a better offer.

“I've spoken to (chairman) Ron Martin about how I feel and at the moment I would not sign any new contract offer that Southend put to me. But I still have another year left on my contract too, and if nothing happens then I will still be at Southend.”