Rangi Chase and Harrison Hansen among Salford Red Devils exits
Wednesday 23 September 2015 11:14, UK
Salford owner Marwan Koukash has confirmed big-money signings Rangi Chase and Harrison Hansen will be allowed to leave the club.
Koukash also confirmed Australian forward Cory Paterson will join Leigh as part of a major shake-up as director of rugby Tim Sheens prepares to rebuild the squad following their brush with relegation.
With the club's Super League status assured following Sunday's Super 8s Qualifiers win at Widnes, Sheens is expected to announce the first of up to eight new signings in the next 48 hours.
Salford had already revealed the departures of Adrian Morley, who is retiring, and fellow front rowers Lama Tasi and Scott Taylor, who are joining St Helens and Hull respectively.
Koukash said Hansen, Chase and Paterson will now leave the AJ Bell Stadium, along with scrum-half Theo Fages.
According to Koukash, Paterson, who joined the Red Devils on a two-year deal from Wests Tigers 12 months ago, has agreed a move to Championship club Leigh, who were also linked with Hansen and Chase while they were in contention for promotion to Super League.
"Cory is under contract with us for next year but he wants to go to Leigh and we're not going to stand in his way," Koukash said.
"We agreed to release him on the first of October, regardless of whether they are in Super League or not. We will honour that agreement and I hope he honours it as well. We are not interested in keeping him."
Chase, the 2011 Man of Steel and an England player in the 2013 World Cup, was suspended earlier this month after failing to report for training on time and is now on sick leave.
"Back in June he asked for a transfer and we granted him that," Koukash said. "As a thank you for his service to the club, we have told him we will not ask for a transfer fee, even though we paid a very sizeable fee just under two years ago.
"Harrison is another one who has asked to leave the club and again we have granted him a free transfer."
Fages, who submitted a transfer request in June and resigned from the club in August, is also close to finalising his departure from the Red Devils.
The France international, who is thought to be interesting St Helens, has taken the club to a tribunal in an effort to secure his release but Koukash, who initially said it would take a record £700,000 transfer fee to persuade him to part with the player, confirmed that a resolution is near.
"We're very close with his advisers to reaching a deal and we want to wish him all the very best," Koukash said.
