Bristol Rovers target joins League Two club as Sheffield United star linked

Bristol Rovers transfer target Ronan Curtis will not be joining the club this summer after agreeing to a move to a relegated League One club.

Earlier this month it was reported that the Gas along with some unnamed league rivals had held an interest in Curtis, but he will be plying his trade in League Two next season. He has agreed to join Port Vale and has signed for the Valiants on a three-year contract, which is something of a rarity at that level.

The 28-year-old was at AFC Wimbledon for the second part of the 2023/24 season after leaving Portsmouth last summer. He scored five goals in 17 games and that caught the attention of manager Darren Moore who has been tasked with getting the club back to the third tier.

"I am delighted to welcome Ronan to the Vale," Moore told Port Vale's official website.

"He’s a player with a proven calibre above League Two level and we are really pleased that he has chosen to commit to the club long-term amidst strong interest in both League One and League Two."

Rovers do have other targets in mind with the Bristol Post making enquiries about signing Miguel Freckleton. He is out of contract with Sheffield United this summer however he has been offered a new contract by the Blades after helping Chesterfield win the National League title this season. Bradford City, Fleetwood Town and Wycombe Wanderers are also said to hold an interest as well as some teams in the Championship who are said to be 'monitoring' his situation at Bramall Lane.

Freckleton is a 20-year-old centre-back that was born in Bristol and was at Rovers' academy as a youngster. He was allowed to join nearby non-league club Mangotsfield United in 2021 and then joined Sheffield United a few months later, and since then he's had loan spells at Wealdstone, Yeovil Town and most recently the Spireites.

Matt Taylor and George Friend will be looking for defensive reinforcements after Tristan Crama and Elkan Baggott returned to Brentford and Ipswich Town respectively.