‘£3.5m for Jordan Rhodes? Is that for his right leg or his left?’

The 22-year-old is one of the Football League’s hottest properties after a phenomenal season that has seen the striker net 40 goals for Town and another six for the Scotland Under-21s.

West Ham United are understood to have failed with a bid of £5m in the January transfer window and Sam Allardyce remains keen following the London team’s promotion to the Premier League last week.

Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham have also been monitoring Rhodes with one national tabloid suggesting earlier this week that Martin Jol was set to table a £3.5m summer move for the Terriers striker.

Grayson, however, has laughed off the report and stressed that his star man’s future will not become any clearer until after today’s League One play-off final showdown with Sheffield United at Wembley.

On Fulham’s reported interest, the Town chief said: “£3.5m? Is that for his right leg or left? For someone who has scored 40 goals? Players with ten or 15 goals would go for £3.5m.

“All we are focused on is Sheffield United. We will cross that bridge (Rhodes’s future) when we have to. He is desperate to get us into the Championship and we will see where it takes us from there.”

Rhodes has enjoyed a fantastic season that has seen the Oldham-born striker not only net five hat-tricks but also make his full international debut for Scotland.

Helping Town to promotion today would, of course, cap a dream year for the level-headed striker.

Asked, however, if clinching a place in the Championship next season would help Huddersfield hang on to their star man, Grayson added: “Yes and no. It will be easier for us but it might also mean he goes.

“It is a difficult decision. We might still be in League One and he wants to stay. Or we could go into the Championship and he still wants to leave.

“Jordan’s situation will take care of itself in the summer. Someone may come in with an offer that we think is suitable for the club. If that happens, then we will consider it. If someone comes in and the money isn’t acceptable then we won’t even consider it.

“Because Jordan is under contract, it will take care of itself. If he was out (of contract) in the summer then we would have to think about it.

“But he has three years left and if we wanted to be ruthless we could keep him for that period of time.

“Anyway, the decision will be a two-way thing. You have to respect what the player wants to do. But, obviously, he is the first to acknowledge what this club and his team-mates have done for him.

“As for the final, Jordan is someone who thrives when the big games come along. He is a bit like Jermaine (Beckford), who I had at Leeds. He can create something out of nothing.”

[email protected]