Jim Magilton has become the latest Town player told he can leave on a free if an offer comes in. Magilton, who still has one year left on his contract, had a poor 2001/02 and rarely featured in the second half of the season.
George Burley says the Northern Ireland international wants first team football, something he can't promise him at Town: "Jim naturally wants to play first team football and I am not in a position to be able to guarantee him that.
"He wasn't a regular at the end of last season and when we had a chat recently I told him we would consider giving him a free transfer if somebody came in for him."
Some observers have seen Magilton's lack of form this year as a major reason for Town's poor performance. The former Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton man was key to the Blues' success as they were promoted and then achieved an excellent fifth place in the Premiership.
George Burley praised Magilton's efforts for the Town and adds that if no offer comes in then he will be in with a shout of a place like anyone else: "Jim has done magnificently for us. He was tremendous in the season we got promoted and again in our first year back in the Premiership.
"If Jim is still with us at the start of next season I expect him to be fighting for a place."
Magilton came to Town initially on loan from Wednesday in January 1999 and was an instant hit. By the time of the final game of his spell fans were calling for David Sheepshanks to get his chequebook out, and to his credit he did.
The midfielder joined Town for the unusual figure of £682,500 after a brief wrangle with Wednesday over owed signing-on fees. Since then he has made 139 appearances, scoring 13 goals. Previously, in 1992, he had scored Oxford's goal in the 1-1 draw at the Manor Ground which saw the Blues promoted to the Premiership for the first time.
Magilton becomes the third player that George Burley has said can go on a free if an offer comes in; Fabian Wilnis and Gary Croft are both hoping for similar moves over the summer. Cardiff City, where Croft spent a loan spell towards the end of the season, are still reported to be interested in the former Grimsby and Blackburn full-back.
With Nationwide League sides almost universally cash-strapped, free transfers look the only way for George Burley to offload his peripheral players. Croft, Wilnis and Magilton all have a year left on their current deals and it wouldn't be a surprise if Richard Naylor was offered a similar option before the summer is out.