Town have contacted all other Football League clubs to make them aware of the availability of eight senior players. Alex Bruce, Owen Garvan, Alan Quinn, Colin Healy, Jon Stead, Lee Martin, Kevin Lisbie and Pablo Couñago are the eight players named in a circular which was sent out earlier this week.
All eight either spent much of last season on loan or in and out of Roy Keane's first team at Portman Road.
The inclusion of Jon Stead and Alex Bruce on the 'for sale' list probably suggests their proposed moves to former loan clubs Coventry and Leicester have fallen through with both Midlands sides changing their manager since the end of the season.
Kevin Lisbie, who spent the whole of last season on loan at Colchester, is already understood to be interesting a number of sides with Millwall having made their interest known.
All the players on the list are contracted until 2011, except Lee Martin, who may prove the hardest to move on, the former Manchester United man signing a four-year contract worth £12,000-a-week a year ago, terms which are unlikely to be on offer anywhere else after last year’s disappointing showing.
It’s no surprise that Roy Keane is looking to off-load a significant number of fringe players, the Blues boss revealing that exits would need to take place to partly fund his planned summer spending back in April: "At the moment, in the reserve group, we’ve got too many experienced players on too big wages. I don’t want that at the football club.”
Keane, who plans to have a smaller squad for the 2010/11 campaign with David Wright, Richard Wright and Liam Trotter already departed, also warned that moving players on might not prove a simple task: "It’s easier said than done. The players are under contract, they don’t want to move and when it’s clear to them that I don’t see them in my plans, some players will just sit tight. It’s about trying to find them the right clubs, but that will be down to their agents.”
Owner Marcus Evans also made the intention to shift out unwanted squad members clear in his programme statement at the end of the season: "While Roy has identified four or five players he would like to bring to Portman Road, he's also aware that he has a big squad and he's looking to trim that down. It's about getting the balance right."
One name which fans may be surprised to see missing from the list is striker Tamás Priskin, who failed to live up to his £1.7 million price-tag after joining the Blues from Watford last summer. It appears the Hungarian international, who spent the second half of the season on loan at QPR, will be given another opportunity to prove himself at Portman Road next season.
Elsewhere, Town’s chances of signing long-term target Michael Chopra could be enhanced by the Bluebirds' financial problems apparently continuing, despite their recent takeover by a Malaysian consortium.
A report in Wales claims Cardiff have so far failed to pay their players this month, having cancelled their pre-season tour at short notice.
The Welsh club are also due to make a £1.5 million payment to Sunderland by the end of July, part of the deal which saw the 26-year-old return to Cardiff last summer.
Chopra’s contract also included a clause which would see him receive an improved deal if he scored 20 goals in a season, which he did during 2009/10. The ex-Newcastle trainee is still to hold much-reported talks with his club regarding his future.
Meanwhile, Town's Ticket Office are selling tickets for the pre-season game against PSV in Eindhoven on Saturday 17th July (KO 7pm), priced at £4.25 with a donation going to KWF, the Dutch Cancer Foundation.
The match is part of PSV’s fans’ day, which starts at 4pm with food, drink and PSV-related items available at booths in car park P2 and in the Stadium Square in front of PSV FANworld.
The stadium itself opens at 5.30pm when music will be played and PSV TV films will be shown on large video screens. The coaching staff and players will be introduced to the crowd from 6pm and PSV’s summer signings will be unveiled and interviewed.