Stewart Downing has been told by Middlesbrough that he is free to leave the relegated club provided they receive a suitable offer.
Tottenham offered in the region of £15 million for Downing in the January transfer window, only for the bid to be rejected.
However, with Boro now facing up to the harsh reality of life in the second tier of English football, the Teesside club are willing sellers.
Downing has made little secret of the fact that he will have to move on to further his career but those hopes were compromised by the broken foot he sustained in Boro’s penultimate game of the season against Aston Villa.
Another player who is unlikely to be at The Riverside next season is Ross Turnbull after Boro’s second-choice goalkeeper made clear his desire to leave the club.
Turnbull, linked recently with a move to Chelsea, has not featured for the first team since a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in January and will leave the club upon the expiry of his contract.
Chief executive Keith Lamb told Boro's official website: "Ross has written and told us that he's rejected our contract offers and he will be free from the end of June to join whichever club he chooses.
"We didn't want Ross to leave, we've been negotiating with him and his agent for the last eight months. We felt he had a future at Middlesbrough and we made him a number of offers over the last 12 months.
"They were exceptional offers for a goalkeeper who has played less than 30 games for Middlesbrough's first team.
"Each one was rejected by Ross and his advisors and consequently he has now informed us that it is his intention to pursue his career elsewhere.
"The reason Ross consistently gave us [for not signing] was that he wanted to play regular first team football.
"It's interesting that at least three of those offers we made him were while he was in the first team and we also continued to make improved offers after he was relegated to the bench.
"I assume Ross will be going to a club where he will get regular first team football. But we don't know who that club will be, time alone will tell. We wish him well and hope it works out for him."