Former Bristol Rovers target subject to collapsed club-record move released by Peterborough

Jonson Clarke-Harris has been released by Peterborough United almost one year on from Bristol Rovers' failed attempt to re-sign their former striker for a club-record deal.

The 29-year-old was set to return to the Mem three years on from his £1.25million departure to Posh on deadline day last summer for a fee that would have smashed Rovers' club-record believed to be in the region of £800,000. However, the deal wasn't completed in time before the deadline and Clarke-Harris remained a Peterborough player.

Posh director of football Barry Fry confirmed in December ahead of the January transfer window that Rovers had confirmed that they were no longer interested in signing the striker and that appears to be the case even more so now.

Since the collapsed transfer, the Gas have replaced Joey Barton with Matt Taylor and are expected to direct a decent amount of their focus over the summer towards signing young talent that can be developed into profitable assets. Taylor has insisted that instilling experience will also be necessary to find a healthy balance but the understanding is that Rovers' interest in re-signing Clarke-Harris is a thing of the past.

It is understood that the striker did have the option to join fellow League One side Charlton Athletic in January but turned down the move despite being subject to limited game time at London Road amid Posh's switch of strategy with more emphasis on bringing through youth.

The 29-year-old still managed to score 13 goals this season having played less than 2,000 minutes of football across all competitions and is now available on a free transfer. Although, the understanding is that the weekly wage Clarke-Harris will demand is beyond the realms of possibility for Rovers even if they were to still withhold an interest.

Signing a striker will still very much be a priority for the Gas this summer though after John Marquis' release which has left Chris Martin as the club's only recognised option. The 35-year-old had an excellent season for Rovers having been signed as an alternative to Clarke-Harris as a free agent, scoring 16 league goals but Taylor admitted that, because of limited options, he was forced to use the striker too much.