Callum Camps is available on a free transfer this summer after Fleetwood Town confirmed they will be releasing the playmaker, five months after Bristol Rovers tried to take him to the Mem.
Fleetwood have published their retained list following the conclusion of the League One season last weekend and Camps is one of four first-team players who will be let go once their contracts expire next month.
Camps made 31 appearances for the Cod Army as they finished 20th in the third tier, escaping relegation via goal difference, but are now searching for a new manager after interim Stephen Crainey returned to his role as Under-23 head coach.
Bristol Live understands that Rovers were keen on signing Camps in the January transfer window as Joey Barton sought to add more creativity and goalscoring options in midfield. Barton took Camps to Fleetwood from Rochdale in summer 2020.
But after Fleetwood wouldn't let the 26-year-old leave, Rovers switched targets and landed Elliot Anderson on loan from Newcastle United, with the teenager proving an instant success in BS7 since arriving on deadline day.
Anderson has scored six goals and added four assists in 20 appearances but will return to his parent club at the end of the season with the very real prospect of forcing his way into Eddie Howe’s first-team thinking or a Championship loan for 2022/23.
Ultimately, Rovers have, at present, too many moving parts to their recruitment operation given it's unclear which division they’ll be playing in next season, as they prepare for the final game of 2021/22 against Scunthorpe United and with a shot at automatic promotion.
Whether the Gas are a League One or League Two club next season could dictate whether interest for Camps is revived, with the former Northern Ireland Under-21 international linked with a move to hometown club Stockport County, who are currently top of the National League.
Fleetwood have also confirmed they have offered a new contract to former Rovers striker Ellis Harrison who had the opportunity to return to north Bristol last summer while at Portsmouth.
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