Rovers have published their retained list which has confirmed the departures of Ben Brereton, Daniel Ayala, Bradley Dack and Dan Butterworth at the end of their contracts.

The quartet are the headline departures that had been announced in advance of the retained list being made public.

The club opted against triggering the one-year option in Dack’s contract which will see him leave after scoring 57 times in 173 appearances since joining from Gillingham in 2017 for £750,000.

Brereton, top scorer for the last two seasons, leaves after five years and will join Villarreal after agreeing a pre-contract deal with the La Liga club. The 24-year-old scored 46 goals in 177 appearances.

Ayala departs having made 58 appearances across the course of his three-year deal which was signed upon his arrival as a free agent in September 2020.

Butterworth saw his one-year option triggered last summer, but will depart after spending the 2022/23 season on loan at Port Vale. The 23-year-old ends his seven-year association with the club after 18 senior appearances.

The other departures see Under-21s trio Dan Pike, Sam Burns and Aidan Dowling move on at the end of their contracts.

Right back Pike did feature in a matchday squad in 2021/22, but leaves having failed to make a senior appearance.

The 21-year-old, a regular for Rovers Under-21s, had three separate spells on loan with AFC Fylde, including finishing the season with the National League North champions.

Striker Burns also leaves the club on the back of failing to make a senior appearance, but having been a regular for the Under-21s.

The 20-year-old, who spent time on loan at Scunthorpe United last year, made over half a century of appearances for the Under-21s, chipping in with 16 goals.

Goalkeeper Dowling, who has spent time on loan at Lancaster City, leaves having made 13 appearances for the Under-21s in the two years since signing pro terms.

The other departures see scholars Will Blease, Ryan Wilson and George Chmiel leave having not been offered professional deals.

New deals have been offered to three Under-21s players: Pat Gamble, Isaac Whitehall and Zak Gilsenan.

Gamble signed a one-year professional contract last summer, with the option to extend by a further 12 months, but has now been offered improved terms.

The 19-year-old central defender has been a regular for the Under-21s this season, playing 18 of the 26 Premier League 2 fixtures, and wearing the captain’s armband for the majority.

Whitehall has also been offered a new deal amid his ongoing rehabilitation which has seen the 20-year-old prospect fail to make an appearance in the last two seasons because of injury issues.

Australia youth international Gilsenan has also been offered a new deal as a reward for his form since returning from an ACL injury.

The 20-year-old impressed in the final months of the season for the Under-21s, including scoring in the Premier League Cup final.

The attacker, who spent time at Barcelona’s La Masia Academy in his teenage years, missed 10 months of action with a serious knee injury before returning in August.

Three other players have had the options in their contracts extended by a further 12 months.

Left back Lenni Cirino, who has featured for the first-team in the last two pre-seasons, is signed up for a further 12 months having struggled with a serious hamstring injury which restricted him to only six appearances this season.

The 20-year-old is now under contract until 2024.

Midfielder Jared Harlock, who played in three friendlies last summer and twice made in the bench in cup competitions, has also seen his option taken up.

The versatile 20-year-old, who has played over 50 times for the Under-21s, is under contract until 2024.

The club have also extended the contract of attacker Alex Baker by a further 12 months.

The 20-year-old failed to make an appearance in 2022/23 because of injury, having also made just four appearances last term.

Rovers, who have agreed two-year scholarship deals with 13 players, have also offered professional contracts to five others.

Right back Leo Duru, central defender Charlie Olson, midfielder Adam Caddick and attackers Ben Fyles and Dom Biniek, have all been offered pro deals as their scholarship deals come to an end.

Fyles signed a third-year scholarship deal last summer, having missed a year out with injury, but caught the eye of Jon Dahl Tomasson enough to travel with the squad for the FA Cup tie at Leicester City in February.

However, he sustained an ACL injury soon after which will rule him out of action for a sustained period.

Leaving: Daniel Ayala, Ben Brereton, Sam Burns, Dan Butterworth, Bradley Dack, Will Blease, Aidan Dowling, Ryan Wilson, George Chmiel

Options triggered: Jared Harlock, Lenni Cirino, Alex Baker

New deals offered: Pat Gamble, Isaac Whitehall, Zak Gilsenan

Pro deals offered: Leo Duru, Charlie Olson, Adam Caddick, Ben Fyles, Dom Biniek

Scholarship deals agreed: Tom Atcheson, Joseph Boggan, Max Davies, Nathan Dlamini, Stephen Edmondson, Patrik Farkas, Lucas Houghton, Nicolas Michalski, Lorenze Mullarkey-Matthews, Teddy Ramwell, Daniel Shaw, Jackson Shorrocks, Nathan Willis