Southend manager Steve Tilson remains confident sought-after striker Freddy Eastwood will remain at Roots Hall next season.

Eastwood, 23, has constantly been linked with a move away from Southend since he burst onto the scene with a debut hat-trick three seasons ago.

The ex-West Ham trainee has hit 67 goals in three years, helping the Shrimpers to successive promotions before just failing to keep them in the Championship this term, and Tilson wants him to lead their bid to bounce back from League One.

"If the chairman doesn't want to sell him, then he will certainly be a Southend player next year," said Tilson.

"Obviously we want him to be part of things here because he scores goals and he has done at all levels. I'd love him to stay but he only has a year left on his contract.

"If a Premiership or a top Championship club comes in, you would have to ask him if he still wants to be here. But there is no point in Freddy moving just for the sake of it, it needs to be a big club offering him a lot of money otherwise he's better off staying where he is."