FORMER Colchester United striker Macauley Bonne is a free agent this summer after being released by Gillingham.

The 28-year-old, who joined the Gills last August after his short-term deal at Charlton Athletic ended last summer, is one of eight players to be told they will not be offered new contracts by the League Two club following the appointment of former Cambridge United boss Mark Bonner as their manager, earlier this month.

Bonne made 31 league and cup appearances for Gillingham this season, scoring five times.

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He also had a loan spell at League One outfit Cambridge United in the second half of the campaign, where he made 16 appearances and found the net once.

The Zimbabwe international started his career at Colchester, where he made 25 starts and 59 substitute appearances during his time at the JobServe Community Stadium, scoring 16 goals.

Bonne scored his first professional goal on his 18th birthday when he netted for the U's against Peterborough United in October, 2013.

The Ipswich-born forward's contract at the U's expired in June 2017 and he joined Leyton Orient, where he scored 49 goals in 102 games.

Bonne then left Orient in June 2019 and signed a three-year contract with Charlton, who paid in the region of £200,000 for the forward.

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The striker left the League One side in October 2020 and signed for Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £2million.

He returned to Charlton in January and linked up with Gillingham, for the 2023-24 season but is now looking for a new club.