AT least seven first-team players will depart Morton this summer as the club faces up to a 'fresh start' for next season.

In an update to fans this afternoon, manager Dougie Imrie thanked squad members who will be leaving Cappielow in the coming months and looked ahead to a rebuild following the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign.

Robbie Crawford, who rejected a new deal to stay with the Greenock side, is set to join Premiership promotion hopefuls Partick Thistle, while Calum Waters, Jai Quitongo, Lewis McGrattan, Alan Power and Jamie MacDonald will also be looking for new clubs after the expiry of their contracts.

Meanwhile, defender Tyler French's loan spell has come to an end and he will return to parent club Dundee.

So far, the Ton's contracted players for the 2024/25 season are: Ryan Mullen, Iain Wilson, Logan O’Boy, Jack Baird, Alexander King, Jack Bearne and incoming striker Jordan Davies.

Veteran defender Kirk Broadfoot, club captain Grant Gillespie, midfielder Cameron Blues, wideman Michael Garrity, centre half Darragh O'Connor and left back Lewis Strapp are currently in discussions over extending their stay with Morton.

The club also confirmed that contract talks are ongoing with this season's top scorers Robbie Muirhead and George Oakley - despite both being linked with moves to rival Championship sides in recent days.

Imrie said: “Firstly, my thanks go to every player that represented the club last season.

"It was a challenging campaign with injuries and dips in form during those periods, but our remarkable 16-game unbeaten run was fantastic and a testament to those players involved.

“Obviously, this summer there is a big turnaround in players which brings its own challenges, but we need to freshen the squad up to improve and develop for next year.

“I pay tribute to those departing and thank them for their service to the club. Some have been here for large periods of their careers and others for less so, but each is equally as important in the memories they have made at Cappielow.

“In football there is a necessity sometimes to have a fresh start and there is a feeling of that right now. We look forward to a busy summer rebuilding and hopefully being able to better our last two league finishes.”