MANAGER Eddie Howe believes keeping intact the current Cherries squad will present the club with its “biggest challenge” during the summer.

But with their Premier League status secured for a third successive season, Howe insisted they were under “no pressure” to sell any of their prize assets.

Cherries have again more than held their own at the highest level with a number of players blossoming during their second campaign in the top flight.

Joshua King – last season’s leading marksman with six goals – has plundered no fewer than 16 for Cherries this time round, including 12 in his past 14 games.

The Norwegian frontman, snapped up by Howe for just £1m from Blackburn, is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe in the calender year and also has a couple of international goals to his name.

Steve Cook, who has been ever present in the Premier League this season and was crowned Daily Echo-Micky Cave supporters' player of the year, has been a model of consistency and has already been linked with other clubs.

The defender, a bargain £175,000 buy from Brighton in 2012, has also been touted as a future England player, as has the versatile Adam Smith, another leading light during an historic campaign which will see the club secure its highest league position.

Midfielder Harry Arter, who saw his first season in the top flight hampered by injury, is another player whose stock had risen, while Ryan Fraser has earned international recognition with Scotland after bursting on to the scene in December.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Howe said: “For a club of our size, keeping players who are performing so well in the Premier League will be our biggest challenge this summer, probably more so than any other.

“But we have ambitious plans. We don’t want to lose our best players, we want to bring in more so, hopefully, that will be achieved.

“I believe we can keep all our players and we are under no pressure to sell.

“I would like to think the players are happy here and are part of a team that is enjoying the ride we are on.

“We don’t want it to end. We want to continue to keep growing and we believe we can achieve special things.”

Discuss King specifically, Howe added: “I am sure there are people taking notice and writing down his name. I think his form this season, take away his goalscoring record since the turn of the year, has been very good.

“I want Josh to do well and to score goals. I would rather have it that way than the other way where he was not performing and not scoring just so people weren’t taking notice.

“His work rate, endeavour and all-round game have improved a lot. It is great to see him getting the goals that his improvement has warranted.”