Bristol Rovers must reverse £800k transfer collapse and secure agreement: View | OneFootball

With his contract expiring at London Road this summer, Peterborough United striker Jonson Clarke-Harris is set to be available on a free, and there's no doubt that he'll attract plenty of interest.

The 29-year-old has been a prolific goalscorer at League One level for the last few seasons, and despite a slightly disappointing campaign with The Posh this season, he's still capable of making a big impact next year for any new club.

The Jamaican international was the division's joint top scorer last season with 26 goals, and he topped the scoring charts during The Posh's 2020/21 promotion winning campaign when he scored an impressive 31 goals.

Clarke-Harris attracted interest from Bristol Rovers last summer and a deal collapsed at the last moment. As a free agent this summer, The Gas need to rekindle their interest in the striker.

Bristol Rovers must try and sign Jonson Clarke-Harris this summer

Bristol Rovers came so close to getting the signature of Jonson Clarke-Harris over the line last summer, and had agreed a club-record fee of £800,000 to bring him to the Memorial Stadium, only for it to fall apart at the last moment.

Key paperwork was filed late, which meant Rovers were unable to register the striker, and he had to return to Peterborough.

This was a huge blow for the club, as it would have been a huge signing in a position where they were short of bodies. In fact, Rovers were so short, they had to sign veteran striker Chris Martin, who was a free agent, on a short-term deal and whilst Martin has performed admirably, he's not a long-term solution.

Martin has scored 16 League One goals in 34 games, which is impressive, but he turns 36 in November, so he's clearly not going to be around forever.

This means that Rovers have to go all out to secure a deal for Clarke-Harris this summer, and bring the player back to the Memorial Stadium after he thrived at the club during his one-and-half-year stay, scoring 27 times in 52 games.

Clarke-Harris will score goals at League One level, there's absolutely no doubt about that, and whoever manages to sign him next season will reap the rewards.

It's set to be a battle to sign him, but Bristol Rovers can't afford to miss out, especially with Chris Martin's contract up at the end of this season.

Jonson Clarke-Harris will attract a lot of interest this summer

Given his reputation as a prolific goalscorer and his contract situation, it's fair to say that Jonson Clarke-Harris will be a man in demand this summer.

Charlton Athletic and Wrexham were both keen on the Jamaican international in January, according to The Sun, but with his contract up at the end of the season, the player wanted to run down his contract and become a free agent this summer to give himself some freedom to find the right move.

Whether the pair will still be interested in him this summer remains to be seen, but given their recent promotion to League One and their financial situation, it would be a surprise if Wrexham didn't at least test the waters with a move for the striker.

This means that Bristol Rovers are likely to be up against it when it comes to trying to sign Clarke-Harris, but with Wrexham having the likes of Paul Mullin on their books, the Welsh side probably won't be as desperate to sign him as Rovers will be.

It's likely that more clubs will show an interest this summer, both in England and potentially abroad, so the 29-year-old won't be short of options.

However, being reunited with his former club Bristol Rovers could appeal to Clarke-Harris, and after coming so close to signing him last summer, it would be a huge coup if they could get the deal over the line this time around.