Cambridge United striker Paul Mullin has rejected a new contract at the newly-promoted League One side and will depart the Abbey Stadium in the next few days, the club has confirmed.

Mullin, 26, topped the fourth-tier goalscoring tally last season with 32 goals in 46 appearances and proved to be the Yellows' star man as they achieved automatic promotion last month - but will not be joining his current side in the tier above after joining the club last summer.

According to a Football League World exclusive earlier this month, Blackburn Rovers have the 26-year-old on their shortlist as a possible replacement for Adam Armstrong who is likely to depart Ewood Park for the top flight this summer.

However, they will not be alone in their pursuit of Mullin, who is also wanted by Middlesbrough as per a Football Insider report with Preston North End since cooling their interest in the League Two man.

With Britt Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher both leaving the club on the expiry of their contracts this summer, and the latter linking up with Premier League side Watford, the Cambridge United striker has been identified as a possible successor and could join Neil Warnock's men if Blackburn Rovers wait for Armstrong to leave the club.

But it is currently unclear where his next destination will be after this latest development or whether he is even in discussions with another club at this present moment.

The Verdict:

You can create as many chances as you want, but unless someone is there to put them in the back of the net, any club will struggle in League One and Cambridge United definitely will without an adequate replacement, although this free transfer will leave the League One club with no extra money to spend.

After playing such a huge part in their promotion, they were probably expecting the forward to leave but the fact he's going for free is probably the biggest kick in the teeth. It will now be down to their recruitment team to find a suitable replacement.

For teams on the other side of the equation, this could be a bargain deal for a man who was so prolific last year and with Armstrong's future up in the air, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Neil Warnock swoop in and secure his signature before Tony Mowbray.

His 5'10 stature is reasonable for a striker - but whoever purchases him may want to accompany the 26-year-old with a striking partner - especially with this being his first season in the Championship if he goes to Boro or Rovers.