Bristol Rovers could be set for a surprise windfall, having already received one small summer cash injection, following Peterborough United’s decision to place Jonson Clarke-Harris on the transfer list.
Clarke-Harris finished as League One top scorer this season with 27 goals in 48 games as Posh reached the play-off semi-finals only to be on the receiving end of Sheffield Wednesday’s historic comeback from a 4-0 first-leg deficit.
But as Posh undergo a financial reset, Clarke-Harris is the headline name among nine players transfer listed by the club on Friday morning as he approaches the final year of his contract at London Road.
The striker, who turns 29 next month, was sold by Rovers to Posh in the summer of 2020 for an initial fee of £1.25m and as part of the deal the Gas included a sell-on clause which entitled them to a percentage of the profit from any future sale, believed to be between 15 and 20 per cent.
The money they’ve received for Clarke-Harris has since gone beyond the £2m mark due to various add-ons being activated over his time at Peterborough and Bristol Live understands Rovers have received a five-figure sum already this summer after he finished with the League One Golden Boot.
Peterborough believe they can receive in excess of £2m for their star striker who, while in his late 20s, still possesses outstanding pedigree in the third tier having scored 74 goals in 144 appearances for the club. As an example, that fee would net Rovers around £150,000 as part of the original agreement.
The other eight players placed on the transfer list are: goalkeeper Christy Pym, defenders Frankie Kent, Josh Knight and Dan Butler, former Gas midfielder Oliver Norburn plus Ben Thompson, Jeando Fuchs and Joe Tomlinson.
Speaking in April, Rovers manager Joey Barton admitted he’d entertain the idea of bringing Clarke-Harris back to Rovers, should the opportunity present itself, believing he could coax even better performances out of him as no manager has yet cracked how to attain his maximum fitness levels over a consistent period.
Clarke-Harris enjoyed something of a gilded status during his previous spell in north Bristol where he scored 27 goals in 49 appearances, and his laissez faire attitude in training had a detrimental effect on his teammates.
“If the chance ever came up, and he was at the right age, you would definitely consider it,” Barton said. “People who know where the net is are worth their weight in gold and, as a manager, you want someone who guarantees you 20-odd goals.”
Clarke-Harris has previously seen Barton as something of a mentor, visiting his office in the wake of the 1-0 win for Rovers at the Mem in November, but, as it stands, the Gas would not be in a position to get near Posh’s valuation of the striker unless they’re able to sell Aaron Collins for a substantial fee.
But even in that instance, which at this stage of the summer remains unlikely due to the size of the market for the Welshman and the Gas’ own valuation, the club are believed to have other targets in mind. Clarke-Harris' preference is also to play in the Championship which, should they have the will and the means to sign him, would leave Rovers some way down the waiting list.
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