Former Bristol Rovers target subject to club-record move, launched by Peterborough

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

The 29-year-old was set to return to Mem three years after his £1.25million departure to Posh on deadline day last summer for a fee that would have broken Rovers’ club record he believes it is around £800,000. . However, the deal was not completed in time before the deadline and Clarke-Harris remained a Peterborough player.

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

Since the collapse of the transfer, the Gas have replaced Joey Barton with Matt Taylor and are expected to focus a decent chunk of the summer towards signing young talent who can be turned into lucrative assets. Taylor insisted that infusing experience will also be needed to find a healthy balance, but Rovers’ interest in re-signing Clarke-Harris is understood to be a thing of the past.

The forward is understood to have had the option to join fellow League One side Charlton Athletic in January but turned down the move despite being handed limited game time at London Road amid Posh’s change in strategy, putting more much emphasis on bringing to the youth.

The 29-year-old still managed to score 13 goals this season after playing less than 2,000 minutes of football in all competitions and is now available on a free transfer. Although, it is understood that the weekly wages Clarke-Harris will demand is beyond the realms of possibility for Rovers, even if they were still to retain interest.

Signing a striker will continue to be a priority for the Gas this summer, albeit following the release of John Marquis, which has left Chris Martin as the club’s only recognized 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 goals in the Championship, but Taylor admitted that due to limited options he was forced to use him too much on the striker. .