LEE Bradbury has warned Cherries striker Danny Ings to be wary of the pitfalls of big-money moves – and wants him to avoid making the same mistake as he did.

Ings has been the subject of intense transfer speculation following his goalscoring exploits for Cherries during last season’s play-off near miss. The 18-year-old, who is under contract to Cherries until 2013, turned in a series of impressive displays and scored eight times for Bradbury’s men in League One.

Cherries have already rejected bids of £400,000 from Fulham and £200,000 from Crystal Palace, while Celtic, Liverpool and Newcastle are among a host of clubs tracking him.

And with the transfer window remaining open until the end of August, Cherries’ resolve is again likely to be tested ahead of the new season.

Bradbury experienced the perils of moving too soon after he had become Manchester City’s club record signing in 1997 for a fee of £3m from Portsmouth.

However, after tasting relegation with City during an injury-ravaged season, Bradbury was sold to Crystal Palace for a cut-price £1.5m just 14 months later.

Bradbury told the Daily Echo: “I have spoken to Danny and told him he needs to be playing games at his age. I had a similar situation when I was about three years older than him and clubs took a lot of interest in me. I went to Manchester City for big money and, looking back, I probably should have had another season with Pompey.

“You can’t get your time back but I feel I would have gone to City a year later with a lot more experience and confidence. I think the best thing for Danny would be to concentrate and get his head down for another year or two. He is good enough to get a move later in life.”

Bradbury, who kept faith with Ings when the youngster experienced a difficult period in his career last season, also believes the speculation will not go to the player’s head.

“He is a level-headed guy and showed a mature attitude when he was in and out of the team last season,” said Bradbury. “He missed a few chances but carried on regardless and we showed faith in him because we knew he was a good player. I thought he handled it excellently and showed what he was made of.

“Speculation is all part of the modern game. It is natural for a player’s head to be turned when a club like Fulham comes in for them. But they have got to look at the bigger picture and look to the future.

“I think staying here and playing week in, week out will further his career more than it would if he left and went into a development squad for a couple of years. At this moment in time, he is a Bournemouth player and I think this is the best place for him.”