Dagenham & Redbridge and Peterborough thrashed out a deal on Sunday which sees striker Dwight Gayle break Daggers’ record transfer fee received.

Dagenham & Redbridge managing director Steve Thompson insists it was a deal the club couldn’t turn down after receiving the biggest transfer fee in their history for selling striker Dwight Gayle to Peterborough United on Monday.

The 23-year-old forward has spent the past two months on loan at the Championship outfit and has taken the league by storm, netting five goals in his last four games for Posh.

A fee of �470,000 – contrary to Posh’s �500,000 figure reported – has been agreed between Daggers and the London Road side for Gayle to sign permanently on a four-and-a-half year deal on January 2 when his loan spell terminates.

That figure could potentially rise to �700,000 with add-ons if Gayle proves a success and also includes a substantial sell-on clause.

“It is an offer which was too good to turn down,” said Thompson.

“We have never stopped a player from going anywhere and the initial deal saw Dwight coming back to us in January.

“Nobody thought Dwight would do as well as he has at Peterborough. The player himself expressed a wish to stay at Peterborough and only at 2pm on Sunday I met with Peterborough and we thrashed out a new deal.”

It is the biggest fee Daggers have ever received, with the previous record being the joint sale of Craig Mackail-Smith and Shane Blackett, also to Peterborough, back in 2007.

It completes a whirlwind two years for Gayle, who was playing for Stansted in the Essex Senior League before signing for Daggers.

And a record-breaking goal tally of 42 goals while on loan at Blue Square Bet North side Bishop’s Stortford last season proved the move to bring the diminutive forward to Victoria Road was a wise move.