Abu Ogogo has been offered the chance to return to Bristol Rovers for pre-season to try and win a new contract at the club, Bristol Rovers understands.
The defensive midfielder was named among the 13 players to be released by the club next month once their contracts expire next month but has been given a pathway back to the squad.
Ogogo has experienced a strange 12 months as a Rovers player as, after being a regular under Graham Coughlan, the 31-year-old wasn't given a place in Ben Garner's squad for the 2020/21 season and sent on loan to National League Dagenham & Redbridge.
He was recalled by Paul Tisdale and made four appearances in quick succession but then injured his thigh and didn't feature again for the club, with Barton unable to select him.
Ogogo is exactly the sort of all-action, committed and destructive midfielder Barton would want to have in League Two and is a well-liked character at the club. But there are understandable doubts over his long-term fitness, hence the need for what is effectively a trial.
However, there is also an acknowledgement that he may well reject Rovers' offer because of the insecure nature of the market.
Hypothetically-speaking, Ogogo could report back in June, spend a few weeks training and then not earn a contract, while seeing opportunities elsewhere disappear due to his commitment to try and earn a new Gas contract.
Barton has promised a "brutal" pre-season regime for his squad, featuring a weekend in Hereford with the special forces, as he looks to restore optimum fitness levels he felt have been lost.
After being brought to the club by Coughlan and Tommy Widdrington in January 2019, Ogogo made 53 appearances for the club over two-and-a-half seasons.
He also remains a popular figure within sections of the fanbase as his fighting spirit and determination was seen as cruelly lacking from the team that was relegated in the recently-completed campaign.
