Town manager Joe Royle has released out-of-contract striker Alun Armstrong and midfielder Chris Bart-Williams. However, the Town boss has offered new one-year contracts to all the other seven players whose deals are up at the end of June.

Injury-hit Armstrong was widely expected to depart, while Bart-Williams was unlikely to stay once the Blues had been confirmed in Division One for another season. The former Charlton man, 30 this month, will hope to win a Premiership contract.

Royle is now waiting on the seven players - John McGreal, Chris Makin, Lewis Price, Jim Magilton, Fabian Wilnis, Jermaine Wright and Richard Naylor - to decide whether they want to stay: "All the players who have been offered new deals have until June 30, when their current contracts expire, to decide."

Skipper Jim Magilton and Fabian Wilnis have already made clear their intention to remain at Portman Road.

Royle is already making moves to bring players into the club and says Town are now in a better position to resist offers: "There were a lot of good things about last season and, while we're certainly not financially flush, it's a fact that we are no longer vulnerable to silly offers.

"There is a wind of change continuing to blow through the game, with chairmen, managers and players all having to take a common sense approach.

"I have made preliminary approaches for two players I would like to take on board next season, but that's not to say that anyone is definitely coming in.

"It is still very early days. I have spoken to the agents of two players to register an interest and we will see where it goes from there."

The identities of Royle's targets are a mystery, although he revealed last week that he will be looking for a target man and a central defender over the summer.

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