Joe Gbode linked with a £500k move to Luton Town – Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth responds to the speculation after his weekend double against Dartford

Joe Gbode’s weekend double came amid speculation over his future at Gillingham - with reports of interest from Luton Town.

A figure of £500,000 has been spoken of and Gills manager Gareth Ainsworth wasn’t surprised to hear the rumours of interest for their promising young striker.

Gbode, 20, broke into the Gillingham first team during the last campaign in League 2 and is now set to play a big part in the season ahead.

He’s impressed over pre-season, with a well-taken goal against Ebbsfleet United in the week and two more at Dartford on Saturday, where he was the standout player.

Gbode played 75 minutes against Luton when the teams met at Priestfield for a friendly match earlier this summer.

Responding to the current speculation, Ainsworth said: “I'm not surprised at all, but we keep our business in-house and we won't let anything go out.

“I'm very experienced with the game, and gone are the days when we'll talk about any business coming in, going out, whatever it is, that's the way I believe football clubs should work.

“In the world of social media, things get rife out of hand and put everywhere.

“We're really proud and happy that people are linked with our players.

“I think there was rumours about Sam Gale. It's always going on. I didn't play him for a week and I think he'd gone somewhere in the Championship, but he certainly played (on Saturday) and got a good half under his belt.

“These rumours will come and go but we'll keep everything in-house.”

Luton fans had been hoping to see QPR’s Charlie Kelman sign for them but the former Gills loan forward is being heavily linked to Charlton Athletic.

Gbode’s numbers don’t stand out – with just three league goals in over 40 appearances – but the player is improving at a rapid